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I got diagnosed with sleep apnea and asked about this, since I'm not overweight. The doctor said it's more about the structure of the mouth and throat than obes

I got diagnosed with sleep apnea and asked about this, since I'm not overweight. The doctor said it's more about the structure of the mouth and throat than obesity. There is an area at the back of the tongue that gathers more fat and can block the throat, but palette structure is a big factor. Along with jaw size and throat size. I remember reading not too long ago on HN an article about our dental health in modern times: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-we-have-so-many-problems-with-our-teeth/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-we-have-so-ma... It could be our diet contributing to smaller jaws/palettes that increase the prevalence sleep apnea?

metrokoi 6y ago
This absolutely makes sense to me. It explains why it affects anyone, not just overweight people or people who do not exercise. Our mouths evolved to masticate much larger amounts of low calorie and high fiber food. If this theory is correct, it is still unfortunate that it is not easily solved with something like exercise alone and often requires either braces or CPAP.
- nashalo_nighly 6y ago
  I’m not so sure about that, men and women largely have the same diets yet I think sleep apnea disproportionately affects men.