Central sleep apnea is when you repeatedly stop breathing during sleep because the brain temporarily stops sending signals to the muscles that control breathing.
Central sleep apnea often occurs in people who have certain medical conditions. For example, it can develop in persons who have life-threatening problems with the brainstem, which controls breathing.
Conditions that can cause or lead to central sleep apnea include:
Arthritis and degenerative changes in the cervical spine or the base of the skull
Use of certain medications such as narcotic-containing painkillers
A form of central sleep apnea commonly occurs in people with congestive heart failure.
If the apnea is not associated with another disease, it is called idiopathic central sleep apnea.
Central sleep apnea is not the same as obstructive sleep apnea, which is due to a blockage in the airway.
A condition called Cheyne-Stokes respiration can mimic central sleep apnea. This involves breathing to a variable depth, usually while sleeping.
Symptoms
Persons 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 neurological condition. Symptoms depend on the underlying disease and what parts of the nervous system it has affected, but may include:
Difficulty swallowing
Voice changes
Weakness or numbness throughout the body
Signs and tests
The health care provider will perform a physical exam. Tests will be done to diagnose an underlying medical condition. A sleep study (polysomnogram) can confirm sleep apnea.
Pien GW, Pack AI. Sleep disordered breathing. In: Mason RJ, Broaddus VC, Martin TR, et al, eds. Murray and Nadel’s Textbook of Respiratory Medicine. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2010:chap 79.
Review Date:
8/5/2011
Reviewed By:
David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Denis Hadjiliadis, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
