Common symptoms of central sleep apnea

Central sleep apnea is a condition affecting the breathing patterns of a person while they are asleep. This is not to be confused with obstructive sleep apnea, which may make the breathing patterns of a person erratic and irregular. In the case of central sleep apnea, the person’s breathing may be periodically cut off completely or made to be so shallow that the breaths they are taking provide an insufficient amount of oxygen. In most cases, this lack of oxygen usually causes the person to wake up from their sleep, even if it is only for a short amount of time.

Common symptoms of central sleep apnea include:

• snoring
• morning headaches
• insomnia
• hypersomnia, and others.

Snoring may not be as prominent with central sleep apnea as it is with obstructive sleep apnea. Central sleep apnea is also found to be less common than obstructive sleep apnea.

Those who are at risk of central sleep apnea are more commonly men and those who are older. Also, those with atrial fibrillation or congestive heart failure are at a greater risk of this condition. The use of opioid medications and CPAP machines may cause this condition to develop over time.

Ask A Doctor

During an appointment with a doctor, you may be asked to conduct a study called polysomnography, which similarly to a sleep study during obstructive sleep apnea, will monitor many of your organ functions during sleep. Not only will a polysomnography help diagnose central sleep apnea, but it will also help rule out any other sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea, narcolepsy, or other conditions.

There are also many treatment options available for central sleep apnea such as the reduction of the dosage of opioid medications, BPAP, supplemental oxygen, and the use of therapy to address the issue of organ functions(for example, therapy for heart failure).