How to Treat Central Sleep Apnea?

by Lalita
(San Jose, Ca., USA)

I'm almost 100% sure I have Central Sleep Apnea and am uninsured so I can't see a Dr.

My breathing is so shallow when I sleep I can barely breathe, it's much worse when I wake up but all day long too. Also I always feel tired and I get up to the bathroom at least once or twice at night. I do not snore. My brain feels like it's suffocating and sometimes I feel minor speech difficulty.

I will not use a machine to sleep but what will be good for me. I will have no problem sleeping on my side and have a regular contour foam pillow. Any advice will be extremely helpful.

Answer

If you have central sleep apnea, the primary treatment is the use of BiPAP machines and Adaptive Servo Ventilator machines (ASV).

These new machines look and act the same as a CPAP machine, but they are different, as they are a type of ventilator, and the price is higher.

Here is a video about central sleep apnea:


Because central apnea is caused by a problem with the respiratory center from the brain, positional therapy and sleep apnea pillow doesn't help. These alternative treatments are effective only in obstructive apnea, where your airway becomes blocked, and so you start snoring or stop breathing during sleep.

There are also some medication that may help central sleep apnea, but you still a doctor for this, because you can become dependant and also worsen your symptoms.

It's also possible that you don't have central apnea, after all. Only a sleep study can demonstrate 100% what sleep disorder you have, how severe it is, and what type of treatment is effective for you.

In general, patients with sleep apnea have no idea about their breathing pattern during sleep (sleep apnea starts only when you sleep). So, maybe you have other sleep disorder that you don't know about it.

Bottom line... Sleeping on the side and a contour foam pillow doesn't help you with central apnea. Only a breathing machine can treat you.


I hope it helps. Don't be afraid to comment back.

Some more interesting pages for you to check out:

• Is CPAP beneficial while using awake?
  
  
• How often to replace the CPAP machine?
  
  
• What To Do With CPAP Machine Not Needed?
  

Remy
www.sleep-apnea-guide.com

Please remember...what is posted on these forums are our experiences, thoughts and opinions...it is not always 100% accurate.