Central sleep apnea is when you repeatedly stop breathing during sleep because the brain temporarily stops sending signals to the muscles that control breathing.
See also:
Alternative NamesSleep apnea - central
Causes, incidence, and risk factorsCentral sleep apnea often occurs in people who have certain medical conditions. For example, it can develop in persons who have life-threatening problems with the brainstem. The brainstem controls breathing. As a result, any disease or injury affecting this area may result in problems with normal breathing during sleep or when awake.
Conditions that can cause or lead to central sleep apnea include:
One form of central sleep apnea commonly occurs in people with congestive heart failure. Idiopathic central sleep apnea refers to apnea that is not associated with another disease.
Central sleep apnea is not the same as obstructive sleep apnea, which is due to a blockage in the airway.
SymptomsPersons with central sleep apnea have episodes of disrupted breathing during sleep.
Other symptoms may include:
Other symptoms may occur if the apnea is due to a neurological condition. Symptoms depend on the underlying disease and what parts of the nervous system it has affected, but may include:
The health care provider will perform a physical exam. Tests will be done to diagnose an underlying medical condition. A sleep study (polysomnogram) can confirm sleep apnea.
Other tests that may be done include:
Oxygen, nasal CPAP, or bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP) may be used for some types of central sleep apnea.
Some types of central sleep apnea are treated with drugs that stimulate breathing.
Patients should avoid the use of any sedative medications.
If central sleep apnea is due to heart failure, the goal is to treat the heart failure itself. See: Heart failure
Expectations (prognosis)For idiopathic apnea, the outlook is usually favorable. In congestive heart failure, an aggressive treatment of the heart may improve the outlook. If the cause is a brainstem injury, the outlook tends to be worse.
ComplicationsComplications may result from the underlying disease causing the central sleep apnea.
Calling your health care providerCall your health care provider if you have symptoms of sleep apnea. Central sleep apnea is usually diagnosed in patients who are already severely ill.
ReferencesEckert DJ, Jordan AS, Merchia P, Malhotra A. Central sleep apnea: pathophysiology and treatment. Chest. 2007;131:595-607.
Central sleep apnea is when you repeatedly stop breathing during sleep because the brain temporarily stops sending signals to the muscles that control breathing.
See also:
Alternative NamesSleep apnea - central
Causes, incidence, and risk factorsCentral sleep apnea often occurs in people who have certain medical conditions. For example, it can develop in persons who have life-threatening problems with the brainstem, which controls breathing.
Conditions that can cause or lead to central sleep apnea include:
A form of central sleep apnea commonly occurs in people with congestive heart failure.
If the apnea is not associated with another disease, it is called idiopathic central sleep apnea.
Central sleep apnea is not the same as obstructive sleep apnea, which is due to a blockage in the airway.
A condition called Cheyne-Stokes respiration can mimic central sleep apnea. This involves breathing to a variable depth, usually while sleeping.
SymptomsPersons with central sleep apnea have episodes of disrupted breathing during sleep.
Other symptoms may include:
Other symptoms may occur if the apnea is due to a neurological condition. Symptoms depend on the underlying disease and what parts of the nervous system it has affected, but may include:
The health care provider will perform a physical exam. Tests will be done to diagnose an underlying medical condition. A sleep study (polysomnogram) can confirm sleep apnea.
Other tests that may be done include:
Oxygen, nasal CPAP, or bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP) may be used for some types of central sleep apnea.
Some types of central sleep apnea are treated with drugs that stimulate breathing.
Patients should avoid the use of any sedative medications.
If central sleep apnea is due to heart failure, the goal is to treat the heart failure itself. See: Heart failure
Expectations (prognosis)How well a patient does depends on the medical condition causing the central sleep apnea.
The outlook is usually favorable in those with idiopathic central sleep apnea.
ComplicationsComplications may result from the underlying disease causing the central sleep apnea.
Calling your health care providerCall your health care provider if you have symptoms of sleep apnea. Central sleep apnea is usually diagnosed in patients who are already severely ill.
ReferencesEckert DJ, Jordan AS, Merchia P, Malhotra A. Central sleep apnea: pathophysiology and treatment. Chest. 2007;131:595-607.
Malhotra A. Disorders of ventilatory control. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds. Cecil Medicine. 24th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2011:chap 86.
Pien GW, Pack AI. Sleep disordered breathing. In: Mason RJ, Broaddus VC, Martin TR, et al, eds. Murray and Nadel's Textbook of Respiratory Medicine. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2010:chap 79.
Reviewed ByReview Date: 08/05/2011
David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Denis Hadjiliadis, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
Central Sleep Apnea is a disorder in which your breathing repeatedly stops and starts during your sleep. Central Sleep Apnea is less common than Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
There are two primary types of sleep apnea, central and obstructive. The more common of the two, obstructive sleep apnea, associated with obesity, occurs during REM sleep.
central sleep apnea is caused by the internal brain stem, where the autonomic system doesn't work properly. You can go minutes without breahting. Constructive sleep apnea is where the back of the throat collapses during sleep and you struggle to breath. The pauses in breathing last 10-20 seconds or longer. constructive sleep apnea is no where near as bad as central.
Obstructive sleep apnea cause when soft tissues relax and collapse block breathing and thus preventing inhaled air from reaching the lungs Next Central sleep apnea cause when brain doesn't send signals through lungs however when breathing passage is open it would not reach air sacs called alveoli thus leading to falling asleep
I did some research.I found some variations of Central Sleep Apnea:(1) Cheyne"s-Stokes Respiration (2) Ondine's Curse. cmf3225
For moderate to severe sleep apnea, the most successful treatment is nighttime use of a ventilator, called a CPAP machine. used to treat both obstructive and central sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea is when people stop breathing while sleeping. Central is when the problem is that the brain is not sending the signal. You forget to breath when asleep. The other type is obstructive which is when the muscles of the throat collapse and close the airway when they relaxeduring deep stages of sleep.
Causes of central sleep apnea include various severe and life-threatening lesions of the lower brainstem, which controls breathing. Examples include bulbar poliomyelitis , a form of polio affecting the brainstem.
The inability to breathe temporarily is called apnea. Periods of apnea during sleep, particularly those causing intermittent, frequently subconscious awakenings, is called Sleep Apnea. Sleep apnea comes in various forms. The most common being Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). This is caused by an obstruction of the hypopharynx and glottis during sleep - usually the soft tissues of the mouth, soft palate, and throat relax during sleep and occlude the airway. Central Sleep Apnea (CSA) is rarer and caused by neurologic, toxicologic, and metabolic disorders.
Apnea is a medical condition characterized by a temporary cessation of breathing during sleep for at least 10 seconds. It is often associated with snoring, gasping, and daytime sleepiness. There are different types of apnea, including obstructive sleep apnea where the airway is blocked, and central sleep apnea where the brain fails to signal the muscles to breathe.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is not caused by herpes.