|  | Conditions Treatments | Sleep Disorders

Central Sleep Apnea: Symptoms, Conditions & Treatments

Central sleep apnea is a dangerous condition where sleep patterns are disturbed, leading to loss of oxygen and other dangerous conditions such as heart problems. During the night, your breathing will continuously stop and start due to a lack of respiratory effort. Central sleep apnea occurs because the brain does not send the proper signals to the muscles that control your breathing, leading to sporadic and disruptive breathing.

  1. Symptoms

    • In cases of central sleep apnea when the cessation of breathing lasts for less than or up to 20 seconds, symptoms such as a change in heart rate, a reduction in blood oxygen or hypotonia (relaxation of the body's muscles) occurs. Because of these symptoms, most people with central sleep apnea experience disruptive sleeping patterns, which leads to other dangerous health problems.

    Conditions

    • Complications and secondary conditions linked to central sleep apnea include high blood pressure, heart disease, congestive heart failure, disturbances in heart rhythm, atherosclerotic heart disease, pulmonary hypertension, insulin resistance, daytime fatigue and even death. Many of the heart conditions and risks that appear because of central sleep apnea complications occur in response to the sudden drop in blood oxygen that happens when someone with central sleep apnea is asleep. These drops in blood oxygen put undue strain on the cardiovascular system.

    Treatments

    • If you are on opioid medications, one of the first things your doctor will do is gradually decrease your dosage. Opioids can cause central sleep apnea. Other treatments include using a supplemental oxygen tank while you sleep and certain medications such as acetazolamide. Continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, is a treatment where you wear a mask over your nose while you sleep. The mask is attached to a pump that holds your upper airway open and pumps oxygen in. It prevents the airway closure that leads to sleep apnea. Another treatment is Bi-level positive airway pressure, or bi-level PAP. In this treatment, a higher level of pressure and oxygen is applied to your upper airway when you inhale and a lower pressure when you exhale. The goal of this treatment is to stop the weak breathing that leads to sleep apnea. Adaptive servo-ventilation, or ASV, is another treatment option. In this treatment, the device monitors your breathing patterns and stores the information in a built-in computer. While you sleep, the machine uses the data to apply pressure to the airways and regulate your breathing to prevent dangerous pauses in your breathing.

Sleep Disorders - Related Articles