Sleep Apnea and Genetics in Silver Spring, MD

Personalized Sleep Apnea Treatment Near You With Dr. Bassford

Sleep apnea can silently disrupt your nights and leave you feeling drained during the day—but relief is available right here in Silver Spring. Dr. Bassford is one of the best sleep specialists in Silver Spring, MD, and she is here to help. She provides expert care with a focus on comfort, offering custom sleep treatment options, including custom oral appliance therapy as a gentle, effective alternative to CPAP machines. These discreet devices are designed to keep your airway open, helping you breathe freely and sleep soundly through the night. At Silver Spring Sleep Solutions, your treatment is built around your needs, goals, and lifestyle. Let us help you take back your nights—and your energy.

What Is Sleep Apnea? Our Silver Spring Sleep Dentist Explains

Sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder characterized by repeated pauses in breathing throughout the night. These breathing interruptions can last 10 seconds or longer and can occur up to hundreds of times per night, preventing the body and brain from getting enough oxygen. This chronic lack of oxygen leads to poor sleep quality, excessive daytime sleepiness, and an increased risk of other medical conditions like high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.

While there are different types of sleep apnea, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most prevalent. OSA occurs when the muscles in the throat relax during sleep, causing soft tissue to collapse and block the airway. The brain senses this lack of breathing and briefly awakens the body to reopen the airway. These multiple awakenings prevent you from reaching the deeper, more restorative stages of sleep.

Genetic Traits That Contribute To Sleep Apnea

While sleep apnea is a complex disorder caused by multiple factors, researchers have identified some specific genetic traits that appear to raise the risk of developing OSA:

• Smaller Upper Airway: Gene variants linked to having a narrow throat or mouth opening make it easier for tissues to obstruct breathing during sleep.
• Enlarged Tonsils/Adenoids: Genes regulating tissue growth may lead to oversized tonsils and adenoids that block the airway.
• Low Muscle Tone: Genetic mutations that cause hypotonia (low muscle tone) in the throat can contribute to airway collapse.
• Brain Signaling Deficits: Variants in genes that control breathing regulation and arousal response may impair normal respiration control and airway opening during sleep apnea episodes.
• Vascular Abnormalities: Genes affecting vascular health may lead to swelling, inflammation, and excess fluid in upper airway tissues.
• Craniofacial Structure: Skeletal and dental genetic factors may produce smaller sinus/nasal cavities or misalignment that crowd the airway space.

These genetic differences make the upper airway more prone to becoming obstructed during sleep, leading to apnea and hypopnea events. While not fully determinative, identifying people with these high-risk traits could improve the prediction of OSA susceptibility.