3 Types of Sleep Apnea
Here at Sleeptopia, we are big proponents of Sleep Apnea.
We specialize in Obstructive Sleep Apnea, but there is more than one type of Sleep Apnea. There are 3!
Today, we are going to go through all of them!
Central Sleep Apnea
Central Sleep Apnea occurs when your brain temporarily doesn’t relay the necessary information to breathe. Central Sleep Apnea can be thought of as a communication issue from the brain to the muscles that aid the body in breathing. Central sleep apnea is found to be caused by other medical conditions and problems that can relate to the brainstem.
Common Symptoms are ceased or irregular breathing during sleep, restless feeling while sleeping, insomnia, snoring, awakening shortness of breath, morning headaches, daytime fatigue or excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), trouble exercising, or difficulty concentrating on tasks throughout the day.
If you or a loved one are experiencing any of the previously stated symptoms, please consult a medical professional immediately.
Risks of untreated Central Sleep Apnea can lead to serious medical conditions such as Parkinson’s Disease, Brain Stem medical conditions, Brain infection, Stroke, Obesity, issues with medications such as narcotic painkillers, and heart failure.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)is when the muscles that support the soft tissues in your throat, such as your tongue and soft palate, temporarily relax. When these muscles relax, your airway is narrowed or closed, and breathing is momentarily cut off. This action can awaken from sleep due to signals from the body, realizing that the person isn’t breathing.
The relaxation of the structural muscles can cause a gasping or choking sound and feeling, causing the person to struggle breathing during sleep and have to fight for a breath. Once the brain receives confirmation that a breath has been taken, the body is able to return normally back to sleep.
Obstructive Sleep Apneas can happen a couple of times a night or hundreds determined by how severe the apneas are. The chart below shows the normal, mild moderate, and severe ranges of Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
Obstructive sleep apnea can be thought of as a mechanical problem.
Symptoms of Obstructive Sleep Apnea are Loud snoring, Gasping for breath, Insomnia, Morning headaches, Decreased Libido, Teeth grinding, Irritability, Exhaustion, Difficulty paying attention, High blood pressure, Depression, Obesity, Large neck size, and Cessation of breathing while sleeping.
If you or a loved one are experiencing any of the previously stated symptoms, please consult a medical professional immediately.
Mixed Sleep Apnea
Mixed Sleep Apnea is when your brain doesn’t tell you to breathe and when you do, and you begin to choke since your airways are blocked. This is a combination of Central Sleep Apnea and Obstructive Sleep Apnea. A person with Mixed Sleep Apnea will experience sleep with extreme fragmentation and encounter issues due to poor quality of sleep.
“During CPAP treatment for the patients believed to have OSA, the patient's airways were successfully splinted open and free from obstructions, but the patients continued to have difficulty breathing while asleep. Their symptoms of OSA shifted to symptoms of CSA while CPAP therapy was being administered.”
- www.AlaskaSleep.com
Central + Obstructive = Mixed / Complex Sleep Apnea
What’s next?
If you believe that you are experiencing some the the symptoms that have been previously described for Sleep Apnea, you can reach out to your primary care physician to see if you may be experiencing the correlating symptoms. You may be eligible for a home sleep diagnostic test if you receive a prescription for a home sleep study.
If you have any questions about a sleep study or what you may need to do a sleep study, feel free to contact our office.
More Information
www.sleepapnea.org - Sleep Apnea
www.alaskasleep.com - Central, Obstructive, and Mixed Sleep Apnea
www.mayoclinic.org - Central Sleep Apnea
www.mayoclinic.org - Treatment