Central Sleep Apnea Overview
Learn About Central Sleep Apnea
Central sleep apnea is a sleep disorder in which breathing stops over and over during sleep.
Sleep apnea - central; Obesity - central sleep apnea; Cheyne-Stokes - central sleep apnea; Heart failure - central sleep apnea
Central sleep apnea results when the brain temporarily stops sending signals to the muscles that cause breathing.
The condition often occurs in people who have certain medical problems. For example, it can develop in someone who has a problem with an area of the brain called the brainstem, which controls breathing.
Conditions that can cause or lead to central sleep apnea include:
- Problems that affect the brainstem, including brain infection, stroke, or conditions of the cervical spine (neck)
- Certain medicines, such as narcotic painkillers
- Being at high altitude
If the apnea is not associated with another disease, it is called idiopathic central sleep apnea.
A condition called Cheyne-Stokes respiration can affect people with severe heart failure and can be associated with central sleep apnea. The breathing pattern involves alternating deep and heavy breathing with shallow, or even not breathing, usually while sleeping.
Central sleep apnea is not the same as obstructive sleep apnea. With obstructive sleep apnea, breathing stops and starts because the airway is narrowed or blocked. Central sleep apnea and obstructive sleep apnea can be present in the same person.
People with central sleep apnea have episodes of disrupted breathing during sleep.
Other symptoms may include:
- Chronic fatigue
- Daytime sleepiness
- Morning headaches
- Restless sleep
Other symptoms may occur if the apnea is due to a problem with the nervous system. Symptoms depend on the parts of the nervous system that are affected, and may include:
- Shortness of breath
- Swallowing problems
- Voice changes
- Weakness or numbness throughout the body
Treating the condition that is causing central sleep apnea can help manage symptoms. For example, if central sleep apnea is due to heart failure, the goal is to treat the heart failure itself.
Devices used during sleep to aid breathing may be recommended. These include nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP) or adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV). Some types of central sleep apnea are treated with medicines that stimulate breathing.
Oxygen treatment may help ensure the lungs get enough oxygen while sleeping.
If narcotic medicine is causing the apnea, the dosage may need to be lowered or the medicine changed.
The FDA has approved a medical device (remede System) to treat central sleep apnea. The device is implanted in the chest. When a breathing pause is detected, the device stimulates the nerve that controls the breathing muscles so that you will breathe.
Mayo Clinic
Kannan Ramar is a Pulmonary Medicine specialist and an Intensive Care Medicine provider in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Ramar and is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Central Sleep Apnea. His top areas of expertise are Meningococcemia, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Central Sleep Apnea, Osteotomy, and Adenoidectomy. Dr. Ramar is currently accepting new patients.
Mayo Clinic
Timothy Morgenthaler is a Pulmonary Medicine provider in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Morgenthaler and is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Central Sleep Apnea. His top areas of expertise are Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Central Sleep Apnea, Cerebral Hypoxia, Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome (OHS), and Adenoidectomy. Dr. Morgenthaler is currently accepting new patients.
Mayo Clinic
Meghna Mansukhani is a Sleep Medicine specialist and a Pulmonary Medicine provider in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Mansukhani and is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Central Sleep Apnea. Her top areas of expertise are Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Central Sleep Apnea, Restless Legs Syndrome, and Drowsiness. Dr. Mansukhani is currently accepting new patients.
How well you do depends on the medical condition causing central sleep apnea.
The outlook is usually favorable for people with idiopathic central sleep apnea.
Complications may result from the underlying disease causing the central sleep apnea.
Contact your provider if you have symptoms of sleep apnea. Central sleep apnea is usually diagnosed in people who are already severely ill.
Summary: 30% of patients with epilepsy suffer from drug-resistant seizures and are at risk of epilepsy-related complications, from cognitive dysfunctions to premature mortality. Both seizures and their complications are modulated by patients' vigilance states, with a tight and bi-directional interplay between sleep and epilepsy. Several epilepsy complications are associated with sleep, such as sleep-disord...
Summary: The aim of this study is to determine if treatment with Medical Air (21% oxygen in room air) compared to supplemental oxygen (100% oxygen) will lead to similar improvements in the central apnea-hypopnea index (CAHI) for infants with Prader-Willi Syndrome. Despite the vast amount of research investigating the cause of central sleep apnea, there remain gaps in knowledge, lending to further research ...
Published Date: August 29, 2023
Published By: Allen J. Blaivas, DO, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, VA New Jersey Health Care System, Clinical Assistant Professor, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, East Orange, NJ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
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Ryan CM, Bradley TD. Central sleep apnea. In: Broaddus VC, Ernst JD, King TE, et al, eds. Murray and Nadel's Textbook of Respiratory Medicine. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 121.
Zinchuk AV, Thomas RJ. Central sleep apnea: diagnosis and management. In: Kryger M, Roth T, Goldstein CA, Dement WC, eds. Principles and Practice of Sleep Medicine. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 125.