A lot of people think that sleep apnea is something that happens later in life – maybe during middle age and after some weight gain. But a new national survey from The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center tells a different story.
Doctors across the country are seeing more and more younger adults being diagnosed with sleep apnea.
About 80% of sleep apnea cases are undiagnosed, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. A recent Ohio State survey of 1,004 Americans found 43% think being sleepy during the day means they didn’t get enough sleep. It’s possible that a full night’s rest of seven or eight hours is being interrupted by sleep apnea, said [Dr. Meena] Khan, associate clinical professor of Internal Medicine in Ohio State’s Department of Sleep Medicine.
And while a study published last year found that the apnea rate was about 16% among young adults, its authors noted that, due to the various limitations of their study, “the disease burden may be underestimated.”
The one good thing is that more doctors aren’t just dismissing signs of sleep apnea as “unlikely” in younger people. Sure, older people and those carrying excess weight have a higher risk, but neither age nor obesity is required for sleep apnea to occur. Younger adults – even those who look fit and healthy – can still have it for reasons that have nothing to do with weight.
Those studying the phenomenon point to several factors that seem to contribute to apnea in younger people: chronic stress, rising rates of inflammation, lingering effects from respiratory illnesses, allergens, and changes in how (and how much) people breathe during the day. Screens, late nights, sedentary habits, disrupted circadian rhythms, and long-term mouth breathing all play a part, too.
And there’s another piece that often goes overlooked: underdeveloped jaws and dental arches.
More younger people today have narrower faces and smaller airways thanks to jaws that didn’t fully grow wide and forward as they’re meant to do. Modern diets, soft foods, chronic allergies, and mouth-breathing in childhood just add to the problem.
And a smaller, narrower airway can become even smaller during sleep as the individual’s already-retruded lower jaw naturally falls backwards as the muscles relax. The tongue may fall back, as well. In someone with a compromised airway, even a tiny backward shift can shrink the air space enough to trigger snoring or even full apneic events – the body ceasing to breathe for 10 seconds or more.
Dr. Abdulla sees this often in her Laguna Hills clinic: younger patients who look healthy but whose facial and dental development quietly set the stage for nighttime airway collapse.
Unlike the stereotypical older, loud-snoring man depicted in pop culture, though, younger adults often have quieter, less obvious symptoms. The ones that most apnea patients have – morning headaches, brain fog, daytime fatigue, irritability, dry mouth – are rarely seen by younger folks as connected to nighttime breathing problems.
No, what tends to stand out isn’t so much a specific symptom but a pattern that gets brushed off:
- They’re tired but blame it on stress or overwork.
- They can focus but assume it’s burnout.
- They wake with headaches or jaw tension and chalk it up to grinding.
- A partner might mention snoring but ignore it since it’s not “old man snoring.”
- They fall asleep during the day despite being young and otherwise healthy.
This is why younger patients tend to go undiagnosed longer: The signs are there, but the stereotype gets in the way. Once it’s out of the way, we can get to the more interesting and important issue of why a particular patient’s airway collapses. That “why” is the part that can genuinely change a patient’s long-term trajectory.
And there are a number of common causes: an airway that’s too narrow; a lower jaw that’s too far back; a tongue position or muscle tone that collapses during sleep; nasal congestion or inflammation that forces mouth breathing; and nervous system dysregulation that messes with nighttime breathing patterns.
Knowing the cause lets a specialist like Dr. Abdulla choose the most appropriate oral appliance to address it as part of a comprehensive treatment plan. These custom-fitted devices work by gently guiding the lower jaw forward into a more open, stable position. It’s a small shift but enough to keep the airway open throughout your sleep.
Every airway is different. Every sleeper is different. But the goal is simple: to help you breathe freely at night so you sleep soundly and wake rested and refreshed.
The increase in younger adults with apnea isn’t just a matter of curiosity. It’s a reminder that our bodies are asking for attention earlier, louder, and more urgently than before. It’s a reminder that sleep is foundational and breathing, fundamental. That exhaustion is not a normal way to live.
And once you recognize the signs, you can do something about them. Once you know the cause, you can treat it – gently, naturally, effectively.