Everyone deserves a high quality and peaceful sleep after a long workday, but many do not receive it. While some are riddled with back pain after uncomfortable positions while others are subject to problems like snoring and sleep apnea.
When your throat muscles relax during sleep, and the airways are blocked, reducing the levels of oxygen, that is what OSA, or Obstructive sleep apnea refers to.
As the brain detects this drop, it corrects the situation and you gasp for air. This regular stoppage of breathing during sleep is known as sleep apnea and large neck size is one of the many risk factors for it.
It is worth knowing about this positive correlation between neck circumference and sleep apnea because people with this problem experience disruptive sleep, exhaustion, and sleepiness after waking up, and reduced quality of life. It can also cause cardiovascular problems such as hypertension and heart failure.
How Are Sleep Apnea And Neck Size Related?
When people gain weight, the neck is a common site for fat deposits in addition to their stomachs. The excess fat accumulation crowds the neck, making obstruction or collapse more likely, and this new tissue arrangement puts pressure on the breathing tube, narrowing it. This is why people with higher neck sizes have narrower airways.
The smaller the airway, the more difficult it is for air to pass through. The air needs to squeeze through to the lungs, which gives off the sound known as snoring, and further escalation of this problem leads to sleep apnea. Total blockage of the airway yields silence, while the recovery is heard as a strong gasping of air.
Therefore, tissue crowding and narrowing cause partial collapse, resulting in hypopneas and snoring, and obstructive sleep apnea in the case of complete blockage.
Additionally, the high weight of the neck associated with a longer neck circumference can also be a problem due to gravity. When you lie down on your back, the weight of the neck itself can place pressure on the windpipe, collapsing it momentarily to cause these breathing problems.
Is A 17 Inch Neck A Risk For Sleep Apnea?
In both men and women, a 17-inch neck is a cause of concern. A neck circumference of 16 inches (40.6 centimetres) or higher in women and 17 inches (43.2cm) or higher in men puts them at a higher risk for sleep apnea, and if they exhibit any other symptoms, they must get tested.
Most men know their neck size due to collared dress shirt shopping but it is not common knowledge for women, which is why a neck measurement for sleep apnea might be a good option.
Is Neck Circumference The Only Predictor Of Sleep Apnea?
Neck size is just one of the many indicators of sleep apnea, and besides a larger neck circumference, many other factors put you at a higher risk of developing sleep apnea.
These include unhealthy lifestyle choices such as smoking and drinking alcohol and other problems such as high blood pressure (hypertension) and obesity. Moreover, having enlarged tissues at the back of your mouth or throat such as large tonsils, adenoids, or tongues can put undue pressure on your airway. Similarly, a small lower jaw can cause crowding of the breathing tube too.
However, all of these are just risk factors and do not definitively mean you have sleep apnea. Even a fit person with a healthy lifestyle can suffer from sleep apnea.
Do I Need To See A Sleep Doctor?
Just having a high neck size should not make you jump to the conclusion that you have sleep apnea. If you have any of the other major risk factors discussed above and most importantly, someone you share a bed with has informed you that you snore or regularly stop breathing during sleep, it might be wise to consult a sleep doctor.
These physicians evaluate your neck size with paper or a plastic measuring tape, besides your height and weight, and learn about your sleeping habits such as its duration, quality, presence of snoring, and how you feel when you wake up. If the need arises, they might order a sleep test that checks whether there are any periods during your sleep when your blood oxygen saturation is low.
Seeking medical treatment for sleep apnea is very common and easy.
If you haven’t yet developed sleep apnea but have a high neck circumference, adopting lifestyle changes and trying to lose weight should be a priority if you don’t want your sleeping habits compromised.
