Guide To Significant Stroke Causes And Risk Factors

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea is another condition that can increase an individual’s risk of experiencing a stroke. This condition is a sleep disorder in which a patient stops and starts breathing multiple times throughout the night. In obstructive sleep apnea, this happens because the patient’s throat muscles relax too much. Symptoms of this condition include snoring, headaches in the morning, insomnia, gasping for air at night, and dry mouth in the morning. Patients with this form of sleep apnea can often also have other risk factors for a stroke, which is why sleep apnea also increases this risk. Examples include being overweight or obese, having high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease.