What are the different types of sleep apnea?
There are three types of sleep apnea: OSA (obstructive sleep apnea), CSA (central sleep apnea) and complex sleep apnea. Each type of sleep apnea causes you to stop breathing repeatedly while you are sleeping, for as much as a minute or longer. Sleep apnea may awaken you, or you may sleep unaware of the condition.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
OSA is the most common form of apnea, caused by your tongue or the soft tissue in the back of your throat relaxing and blocking your airway. Because air cannot easily pass through your airway, your diaphragm and chest muscles must work harder to pull air into your lungs. This can cause gasping, body movements and snoring. Not only can this disrupt sleep, it can reduce the flow of oxygen to your organs, including your heart.
The first indication that you have OSA is often daytime sleepiness and fatigue, trouble concentrating or forgetfulness. You may experience dry mouth, sore throat or headache first thing in the morning. Some people with OSA may experience bedwetting, excessive night sweating, depression, teeth grinding or unusual sleep positions.
Central Sleep Apnea
CSA is less common and involves the central nervous system. With CSA, the brain fails during sleep to signal the muscles that control breathing. Rather than not being able to breathe because of an obstruction, you do not breathe at all. CSA is usually associated with serious illness involving the lower brainstem, which controls breathing. Some risk factors for CSA include being overweight.
People with CSA seldom snore, but it can lead to daytime sleepiness and fatigue, headaches and difficulty breathing. With CSA, you may wake often or have to go to the bathroom frequently during the night.
Complex Sleep Apnea
Complex sleep apnea is a combination of OSA and CSA.