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Central Sleep Apnea: More than Sleeplessness
CSA or the central sleep apnea is the less common form of the sleep disorder. This is also harder to detect especially if the subject sleeps alone. Symptoms include sleep short and frequents disruptions. A person with CSA might not be aware of this symptom since the awakenings since he would go right back to sleep and rarely be fully awake. Other symptoms are gasping for breath while asleep and waking up tired, groggy and lightheaded. A sleep partner might notice restlessness and air gasping.
The best way to detect central sleep apnea is through polysomnography. This is the study of the patient’s sleeping behaviour. This is usually done in sleep centers or at the patient’s house if the patient cannot sleep anywhere outside the comforts of his home. In the process, the patient will be hooked up with several electrodes, strategically placed all over the body. These electrodes will monitor activities of the patient’s brain, heart, lungs and even limb movements. A health worker will also monitor every movement of the patient. A polysomnography is usually recorded to capture every minute.
CSA is a sleep disorder wherein the patient suffers regular from breathing stoppages and gaps. Practically everyone has breathing gaps while sleeping. A normal person could suspend breathing for about ten seconds as much as five times for every sleeping hour. Five to fifteen occurrences will already be considered mild apnea and more than thirty occurrences is already a severe central sleep apnea case. Longer breathe suspension is also a sign of severe apnea. The breathing gaps will effectively lower the oxygen in the blood and increase the level of carbon monoxide will normally trigger brain signals for the body to breathe, but in the case of CSA, no brain signals occur. Extreme cases of CSA could result to heart attacks, seizures and death.
People with central sleep apnea are commonly afflicted with heart problems, brain tumours or have previously suffered a stroke that affects the brainstem. Parkinson’s disease, encephalitis and other neurodegenerative disorders can also trigger CSA. Painkillers and other drugs and its abuse, surgical complications and even obesity can also lead to central sleep apnea. While OSA is caused by physical barriers and other obstructions in the patient’s airways, CSA is often a complication of another underlying disease.
Central sleep apnea can be treated with the same therapies as the OSA. PAP or the positive airway pressure therapy can help the patient regularize his breathing pattern. Using BiLevel PAP or CPAP masks will reinforce breathing by continually or regularly supplying air pressure to the patient. This treatment will require the patient to wear a mask when sleeping. The mask is then connected to a machine that generates the airflow. The treatment offers instant relief to sleep disorders, the discomfort often drove patients to try other alternatives. If the cause of the central sleep apnea is controllable by the patient, like drug abuse or obesity, then a better lifestyle could improve his condition. Though it may take sometime for the improvement to effect. Sleep apnea surgeries can also be considered especially to severe cases.
