Overview

What is central sleep apnea?

Breathing pauses occur during sleep due to a form of sleep apnea called central sleep apnea (CSA). The most common cause of central sleep apnea is drug or prescription usage, along with other conditions. For example, patients with heart issues may get CSA. Healthcare professionals' primary focus is on treating the underlying condition.

What symptoms of central sleep apnea are present?

Typical symptoms of central sleep apnea include the following:

Briefness of breath with abrupt awakening.
A condition called insomnia is the incapability to stay asleep.
Hypersomnia, or excessive daytime sleepiness.
Difficulty concentrating
Feelings shift.
Headaches in the morning
Snoring

While snoring may indicate an incompletely closed airway, individuals with central sleep apnea can also exhibit snoring. However, central sleep apnea may be less obvious for snoring than obstructive sleep apnea.

What causes central sleep apnea?

It occurs when a commodity impacts the brainstem, which controls breathing. Your respiratory system's muscles get breathing signals from your brainstem.

Your brainstem reacts inaccurately to variations in the blood's carbon dioxide content when you have central sleep apnea. Your body releases carbon dioxide (CO2) when you exhale. When your carbon dioxide levels are high, your brainstem tells your respiratory muscles to breathe in and out more profoundly and continuously, which makes you breathe deeply.

Your brainstem instructs those muscles to pull by and push out lower air at regular intervals when your carbon dioxide levels fall. You take smaller deep breaths, breathe more slowly than normal, or stop breathing entirely for a brief period.

What is the diagnosis and test for central sleep apnea?

The doctor will question your symptoms and medical history, including any conditions that may have contributed to your central sleep apnea.

Your doctor could suggest that you participate in a sleep study to find out if you have central or obstructive sleep apnea. In a sleep study, you spend the night in a sleep lab so that members of your healthcare team may keep an eye on and examine various bodily functions. For instance, they will track and examine your heart rate, breathing patterns, and brain waves.

How is central sleep apnea treated?

Central sleep apnea treatments can help normalize breathing patterns while sleeping. To reduce symptoms during the day, make sure that the quantity and quality of your sleep are your top priorities. Initial therapies for CSA typically focus on treating the underlying cause of the ailment, as most CSA occurrences are brought on by other medical conditions or pharmaceutical side effects. Whether a doctor offers additional treatments to normalize a person's breathing patterns while sleeping depends on the severity of the person's complications.

Mild to moderate consequences: Treating the underlying cause of the irregular breathing pattern may be sufficient for individuals without serious symptoms from CSA. However, a doctor may offer fresh treatments targeting nighttime breathing if CSA persists or is likely to persist after treating the cause.
Serious problems: Patients with serious problems, such as reduced blood flow to the heart or arrhythmias, may be able to treat both the underlying cause of CSA and the abnormal breathing pattern simultaneously.

Treatments for irregular breathing patterns include implantable neurostimulators, supplemental oxygen, medications, and positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy. Treatment plans are determined by the etiology of CSA, the patient's breathing habits, and each patient's specific needs.

PAP Therapy (Positive Airway Pressure): PAP therapy helps you breathe while you sleep by using a machine to push air into your airways. Bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP), adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV), and nonstop positive airway pressure (CPAP) are some of the types of PAP machines recommended for CSA patients.
Supplemental oxygen: To receive supplemental oxygen while you sleep, you may need to use a machine that fills your lungs with oxygen. People who are starting PAP therapy or whose PAP therapy is not working properly may be advised to use more oxygen.
Medication: If PAP therapy or supplemental oxygen is not enough to treat CSA, your doctor may suggest medication to help you breathe. These medications have side effects, so a doctor should monitor patients receiving this form of treatment.
Phrenic nerve stimulation: In patients who are unresponsive to alternative therapies, physicians may recommend the surgical placement of a breathing-stimulating device in the chest. The gadget stimulates the neurons with electrical currents, contracting the diaphragm as it would during regular breathing.

Living With

How do I take care of myself?

Since central sleep apnea frequently develops as a consequence of other illnesses, you should continue to treat those conditions or get help for them.

If you have central sleep apnea, make sure to schedule routine examinations with your provider. Your physician may advise you to undergo additional sleep studies.

Why Tender Palm Super-Speciality Hospital for Central Sleep Apnea?

Tender Palm Hospital has the most experienced team of Cardiologists, Cardiac Surgeons, and diagnostics with the latest and International standard infection control measures in Lucknow, India. The Cardiac Science Centre team has decades of experience in successfully treating Central Sleep Apnea.