- CENTRAL SLEEP APNEA -
clinical features and treatments
You probably know that central sleep apnea is a little bit different from obstructive sleep apnea. We have the same breathing disorder - the person stops breathing during sleep. But the breathing problem comes from the brain, and not from the upper airway.
So...even if you don't have an obstruction of the upper airway, you can have sleep apnea.
What is the explanation ?
A person with central apnea has issues with the respiratory center from the brain. The respiratory center controls the chest muscles to make breathing movements.
When the respiratory center stops working during sleep, then your breathing stops, too. The brain does not respond to the changes of the respiratory gas levels from the blood (oxygen and carbon dioxide). In central apnea, you stop breathing in sleep for a period of time (at least 10 seconds), but there is no effort to breathe at all like in obstructive sleep apnea. Therefore snoring is not present in central apnea. What are the causes of this breathing reflex disorder ? The cause of central apnea is unknown, but there are risk factors that can influence the development, such as: - age
- gender
- sleep state
- thyroid disease
- neurological or cardiological abnormalities
Central apnea is often seen in people with panic about falling asleep. They breathe quickly which results in low levels of carbon dioxide in the blood. This is a problem. When they fall asleep, the breathing reflex fails to start, because of the low levels of the carbon dioxide.
The symptoms of the central apnea are similar to obstructive apnea :
- shortness of breath
- insomnia complaints
- poor nocturnal sleep
- awakening during sleep
- excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS)
The snoring is less common in central apnea, but it may be a symptom of
mixed sleep apnea.
Unfortunately, you may have other difficulties if you don't treat yourself. The long-term effects of central apnea are abnormal heart rhythm, heart failure, lung complications and enlargement of the heart.
The treatment for central apnea is based on
medicine therapy
and
breathing machines.
For some people with central sleep apnea, CPAP
therapy may not work. A nasal CPAP may aggravate the condition of the disease. On the other hand, medicine therapy is a major advantage in the treatment of central apnea, but it requires much research in the field.
Sleep-Apnea-Guide Handbook
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