Article by George Mitchell Sr.

We generally hear sleep apnea being talked about as being a condition that’s signified by loud, chronic snoring. But that’s not always the truth. Each time a person is affected with obstructive apnea, they snore as air pushes past a totally or partially blocked airway, with all the breathing interruptions happening a minimum of 5 and quite often in excess of 30 times an hour. In the event you share your bed with somebody that hasn’t resolved his or her obstructive apnea, you are aware how annoying this really is. Furthermore the breathing interruptions lead to your partner’s moving from a state of deep sleep to light sleep, however they may have the identical effect on you, leaving you both feeling tired, irritable and not able to concentrate during waking hours.

However, when your partner suffers from central apnea, you might not know that they’re experiencing sleep apnea. As opposed to obstructive apnea that results from a blocked airway, central apnea is brought on by the brain’s ineffectively communicating the right breathing actions towards the breathing muscles. Consequently, the sufferer intermittently gasps for air as opposed to snoring. Central apnea is less frequent that obstructive apnea, but it’s no less dangerous to a person’s long-term health. Both obstructive and central apnea can increase a person’s risk to get a many negative health issues, including high blood pressure, hypertension, heart failure, diabetes, erection dysfunction, obesity, depression and poor concentration. But the most damaging effect of sleep apnea is its weakening of the immune system. As with all insomnia issues, the insufficient sleep that results form apnea causes immune cells to function with less efficiency and therefore decreases the human body’s capability to fight off infection and disease.

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In sleep disorders, obstructive sleep apnea is the most common condition that’s seen, but a significant number of people with obstructive sleep apnea will also have central sleep apnea. Central sleep apnea is thought to be a condition that’s associated with a number of different neurologic problems, as well as heart or kidney failure. During the night, people with central sleep apnea stop breathing when signals in the brain that tells the body to breathe don’t work properly. No effort is even made to inhale. In contrast, with obstructive sleep apnea, an effort is made to breathe in, but because of collapse in the upper airways, air can’t get into the lungs.

One of the hallmarks of central sleep apnea is Cheyne-Stokes breathing, where after a long pause, due to gradually increasing levels of carbon dioxide (CO2), shallow breathing is triggered which gradually becomes deeper and deeper, and then once CO2 reaches a safer level, the breathing becomes more shallow again.

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About five minutes later Allan suddenly seemed to choke, wake up, turn around and go back to sleep. Weird! It was as if nothing had happened at all – he just went right back to sleep. The next morning when mentioned what I heard and saw, he seemed surprised. Are you kidding me? He asked. No, I said and told him to make an appointment with our doctor right away. “There must be a bone stuck in your throat” I said and added, “Can you feel it somewhere?” “Bone in my throat? No I don’t think so” he said and added, “Apart from feeling sleepy and tired I’m quite okay”.

Our family doctor heard me out patiently and asked me a few questions like does Allen snore, does he frequently complain of being sleepy during the day time, does he complain of being tired, or having headaches in the morning? I told the doctor that Allan does not snore but my answer to all other questions would have to be “yes”. The doctor peered and poked into Allen’s nose and throat and finally said he was referring him to a throat specialist. To make a long story short, a week and several tests later which included an overnight stay in a sleep center, Allan was diagnosed with Central sleep apnea. The doctor was kind enough to explain to us what Central sleep apnea was.

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Central Cpap Sleep Apnea is a condition wherein there are sudden halts in breathing that is noticed to be repeated throughout the duration of sleep. If someone is sleeping beside you like a spouse or a family member, they will be the one to notice if you are experiencing this kind of condition. They will be troubled with the way you breathe while sleeping. That is why if somebody gets your attention and tells you that you sleep this way then you better learn more about it and take action of what you can do to resolve it.

The main cause of this sleeping problem is in your brain specifically the brain stem. The central organ of the body which is the brain does not send proper signals to your respiratory muscles. People who are highly at risk for having central sleep apnea are those who have heart problems, stroke and brain tumor which are linked to impairment in the ability of the brain to send signals. Males are more inclined to develop this kind of problem than females and those who are taking opioids are highly at risk.

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I have Sleep Apnea (both obstructive and central -700-900 episodes a nite) 02/09. I use both an oxygenation(4.0) and bipap machine. 2 weeks ago I was diagnosed with T2 diabetes (taking Metformin 500mg 4 a day). I’m testing my glucose level several times a day to establish a pattern. I’m watching my diet, but my readings are all over the place, anywhere from 178 to HIGH (over 499). understandable since I am testing frequently; after waking, eating, before/after naps, before sleeping,etc. I use the ‘testing solution” occassionally to make sure I’m doing it correctly and to insure the strips and lancets are still OK. I should mention I also have very low testost (Androgel), chronic pain (arthritis & back pain (Oxycontin) acid reflux (Omeprazole) enlarged prostate (terazosin) severe (Suprise!) depression (Fluoxetine)ADHD (Adderall) to top it off – possible contact w/ “Agent Orange” insurance & VA BAD! HELP!!
I’m sorry – the above is soooo long – and now I’m adding to it! LOL – I forgot to mention, I’m a 61 year old male, 5’9″ and weigh 158 – so I’m not over weight.

Thanks for any help you are able to offer
Bob

im on cpap. doesnt work. cant get enough pressure to go thru my nose. only my mouth. i sleep using my nose only. sleep study says negative for obstructive sa. do i have central. what can i do. doc is no help.

hi guys, im really confused. i gasp for air some nights while lying down BEFORE sleeping n have to get up until i get so exhausted and fall asleep. Thing is, i have no typical symptoms for central sleep apnea which are headaches, daytime sleepiness, exhaustion etc. My mom said she feels i breath just fine with no pauses/breaks while sleeping, and i never wake up from my sleep.

Does anyone know what this could be? I have GERD and maybe some anxiety..im NOT overweight either. Thanks!
i have a sleep study scheduled soon, just waiting for it.

what types of sleep apnea do they have and how are each cured. thanks

the doc has me on a cpap. its not working. i cant get enough air going to my nose.

on my 4th mask. cpap. sleep study says non obstructive. do i have central sa. when i put my mask on my nose i cant get much pressure. do not know why. my sinus area x ray says its ok. looking for answers. tired all the time.