Sleep Apnea - Some Of The Types

The medical disorder known as sleep apnea is fairly common. People who suffer from it experience brief periods of time while sleeping when they stop breathing for periods of between ten to twenty seconds on average. This can happen as many as twenty or more times every hour. People who suffer from the condition usually experience fatigue during the day, and are known to be at greater risk for illnesses such as high blood pressure, as well as heart disease and strokes.

There are three types: Obstructive, also known of as OSA, Central or CSA, and Complex or Mixed Sleep Apnea.

OSA is the result of the muscles of the uvula and soft palate relaxing too much and starting to sag. This causes the airway to become blocked and collapse. The body tries to breathe normally, but cannot. Because it cannot, the levels of oxygen carried in the blood begin to drop. When the oxygen levels drop, the brain reacts by sending signal to the body informing it that it has to wake up and breathe.

People suffering from OSA often have an airway that is narrower than normal at the base of the tongue and palate and/or have low muscle tone and soft tissue around the airway. Becoming overweight, drinking alcohol, taking tranquillizers, anti-histamines, or sleeping pills can worsen the condition. OSA is the most common type of apnea. While not all people who snore suffer from OSA, snoring is one of it's symptoms.

CSA has completely different causes than OSA. CSA is a neurological disorder that is caused by the brain sending mixed, delayed or confused symptoms to the respiratory system.

The origins of CSA lie in the way that breathing is monitored by the body. The problem begins when a person's brain starts to ignore blood oxygen levels. Instead, it starts to regulate breathing based on it's measurements of carbon dioxide levels. A person's breathing begins to respond to the levels, increasing when they are too high, and decreasing when they drop.

As the brain detects carbon dioxide levels in the bloodstream are increasing, it sends the body a message to breathe more quickly. The level then starts to drop in response to the change in breathing speed. Unfortunately, the person's brain does not measure the drop and react quickly enough. It continues to send out the same signal. As a result levels become too low. When this is detected, a new message is sent telling the body to slow its breathing. This causes breathing to slow down too much, or even stop, until carbon dioxide levels start to build up again. The cycle then continues to repeat itself, over and over again. This type of abnormal breathing is known as "Cheyne-Stokes" breathing. This type of apnea is much less common than CSA and is generally seen on people over sixty.

The third type of apnea is, as the name implies, a combination of the other two types. In complex or mixed sleep apnea, the sufferer experiences periods of OSA interspersed with periods of CSA. Studies have proven that when the OSA in this type of apnea has been treated, the incidences of CSA will automatically decrease or disappear.

Sleep apnea is a serious condition that can have serious effects on a person's health. Various treatment options are available. CPAP, or continuous positive airway pressure machines are used to treat all three types. In addition to CPAP therapy, Oral Appliance Therapy and surgery are also used to treat OSA. If you suspect that you are suffering from it, you should discuss it with your doctor.


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