You would be surprised to know that sleep apnea is quite a common sleep disorder. Almost 20% of the world's population suffers from some form of sleep apnea. Some have a temporary phase. Others might have more severe conditions. Depending on the symptoms, there are three different types of sleep apnea. Out of them, two are more common, known as obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea. Let's discuss further about them to help you learn everything:
Sleep apnea is a condition that is related to breathing patterns while you're sleeping. When you are unable to have proper breathing during sleep, you face many of the symptoms. These include headaches, dizziness or daytime sleepiness, blood pressure issues, and more. In short, you usually end up with poor quality of sleep.
Depending on severity (mild, moderate, severe), the treatment options might vary. There are primarily two types of sleep apnea, obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea. The third type of sleep apnea, also known as treatment-emergent central sleep apnea, is a rare condition. It is a mix of the OSA and CSA conditions.
With that being said, let's learn more about CSA and OSA.
As the name suggests, Obstructive sleep apnea takes place when something is obstructing your breathing pattern. It could be a blockage in the windpipe, a relaxed throat muscle, extra fat pressing on your chest and neck, or some other reason.
Obstructive sleep apnea often leads a person to wake up suddenly, but they won't always remember it. With obstructed breathing issues, it is easier for a person to have poor-quality sleep. This is a very common type of sleep apnea. Mainly because it can also occur temporarily due to medication or substance abuse. Even an overweight individual could have it.
OSA is primarily related to upper airway obstruction. Therefore, any medical, anatomical, or accidental situation that leads to the blockage of the upper airway may contribute to the development of OSA. However, here's a brief overview of main leading causes:
If you have a large neck circumference, you might naturally develop OSA. Another reason could be your tongue rolling back in your throat and blocking it. Your throat muscles could also collapse or stop working during the sleep. If you have narrow airways, you might easily develop OSA.
Obesity or being on the heavier side of the body weight can lead to the development of sleep apnea. Mainly either due to neck fat, or chest fat that puts load on your body's respiratory system. Heavy chest can put strain on lungs, while neck fat can put strain on throat muscles.
Sleep medicine could relax a person and their body a bit too much, which can lead to OSA. Using different forms of muscle relaxants, or sedatives, can also cause OSA. These are mostly temporary type and you can easily consult a specialist to stop it.
Temporary OSA might develop with alcohol and other substance abuse that makes you drowsy. Therefore, it is important for you to take such substances in moderation to maintain normal breathing patterns.
Central sleep apnea occurs when you have a weak nervous system. Or more specifically, when your brain isn't able to send proper signals to the muscles that control breathing. As a result, you end up not being able to breathe properly. As it is related to nervous system dysfunction, the treatment options might vary. More importantly, the breathing patterns may also vary in this condition.
Unlike obstructive sleep apnea, central sleep apnea doesn't develop by itself. A person has to suffer from one of the following for them to develop central sleep apnea:
The most common cause of CSA is heart disease or heart failure. Cardiovascular health plays a vital role in pumping oxygen and carbon dioxide in your blood. As a result, it can easily impact the brain's respiratory commands and interrupt the sleep-breathing effort.
Strokes primarily damage some parts of your brain. Brainstem damage from the stroke can easily interfere with the muscles for breathing. It can even impact the brain's natural ability to regulate breathing. As a result, you can develop central sleep apnea.
Primarily, drug abuse, especially opioid use, leads to central sleep apnea. However, any other drug or substance that can damage the brain or impact the respiratory system can lead to the development of central sleep apnea. But, it is safe to say that if you don't use opioids, the chances are quite low for you to have CSA.
The only temporary situation where you might not have permanent central sleep apnea is at high altitudes. High altitude sleep apnea develops due to the lack of oxygen and carbon dioxide cycle in your blood vessels.
As mentioned, there are central sleep apnea treatments available that could vary. Treating obstructive sleep apnea is also easy with continuous positive airway pressure therapy, also known as CPAP therapy. Usually, if you're facing symptoms like excessive daytime sleepiness, loud snoring, high blood pressure, irregular sleep cycle, or sleep patterns, you might need a sleep study from an expert.
After that, they can guide you through the treatment process for central and obstructive sleep apnea. In rare cases, you might need surgery for obstructive sleep apnea to eliminate risk factors. Central sleep apnea syndrome usually requires CPAP and other medication for treatment.
However, in a few cases, people with central sleep apnea or obstructive sleep apnea could develop complex sleep apnea syndrome. It is when you have the mix of both, and this leads to treatment emergent central sleep. In such cases, surgical or emergency treatment is required.
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