What is the Difference Between Obstructive and Central Sleep Apnea

The key difference between obstructive and central sleep apnea is that obstructive sleep apnea occurs due to the blocking of the airway by the tissues in the throat when the muscles relax during sleep, while central sleep apnea occurs due to the brain not sending proper signals to the muscles that control breathing.

Sleep apnea is a type of sleep disorder that causes people to stop breathing while asleep. This disorder can happen due to two reasons: blockage of your airway (obstructive sleep apnea) or the brain does not correctly control breathing (central apnea). Therefore, obstructive and central sleep apnea are two different types of sleep apnea.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea
3. What is Central Sleep Apnea
4. Similarities – Obstructive and Central Sleep Apnea
5. Obstructive vs Central Sleep Apnea in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Obstructive and Central Sleep Apnea

What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type of sleep apnea. It occurs when the tissue in the throat blocks the airway when the muscles relax during sleep. This creates a roadblock for travelling air, so not enough air can travel to your lungs. Moreover, this air has to squeeze due to the blockage, which ultimately leads to snoring. The signs and symptoms of this condition may include excessive daytime sleepiness, snoring loudly, observed episodes of stopped breathing while asleep, abrupt awakenings such as gasping or choking, headache, especially in the morning, awakening with a dry mouth or sore throat, difficulty in concentrating, depression, high blood pressure, and decreased libido. The risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea includes excess weight, older age, narrowed airways, hypertension, chronic nasal congestion, smoking, diabetes, sex, family history, and asthma.

Figure 01: Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea can be diagnosed through physical examination, blood tests, polysomnography, and home sleep apnea testing. Furthermore, treatment options for obstructive sleep apnea may include lifestyle changes, therapies (positive airway pressure, mouthpiece (oral device), and nasal masks), surgeries, and other procedures (surgical removal of tissue, upper airway stimulation, jaw surgery, and surgical opening in the neck).

What is Central Sleep Apnea?

Central sleep apnea is a less common type of sleep apnea that occurs due to the brain not sending proper signals to muscles that control breathing. Other than that, central sleep apnea can also result from other conditions such as heart failure and stroke or sleeping at a high altitude. The signs and symptoms of this condition may include observed episodes of not breathing or abnormal breathing rhythms while asleep, abrupt awakenings with shortness of breath, insomnia, hypersomnia, difficulty in concentrating, mood changes, morning headache, and snoring. Moreover, risk factors for central sleep apnea include sex (males are more affected), older adults, heart disorders, stroke, brain tumor or a structural brainstem lesion, high altitude, opioid use, and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP).

Figure 02: Central Sleep Apnea

Central sleep apnea can be diagnosed through physical examination, blood tests, polysomnography, split-night sleep study, and imaging studies. Furthermore, treatment options for central sleep apnea may include addressing associated or underlying medical problems, reduction of opioid medications, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), Adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV), bilevel positive airway pressure (BPAP), oxygen supplementation, and medications such as acetazolamide to stimulate breathing.

What are the Similarities Between Obstructive and Central Sleep Apnea?

• Obstructive and central sleep apnea are two different types of sleep apnea.
• Both types may have similar symptoms, such as snoring, difficulty in concentrating, abrupt awakening, etc
• They can be diagnosed through physical examination and sleep studies.
• Both types can be diagnosed through specific medications.

What is the Difference Between Obstructive and Central Sleep Apnea?

Obstructive sleep apnea is a type of sleep apnea that occurs due to the blocking of the airway by the tissues in the throat when the muscles relax during sleep, while central sleep apnea is a type of sleep apnea that occurs due to the brain not sending proper signals to the muscles that control the breathing. Thus, this is the key difference between obstructive and central sleep apnea. Furthermore, obstructive sleep apnea is a more common type of sleep apnea.

The below infographic presents the differences between obstructive and central sleep apnea in tabular form for side by side comparison.

Summary – Obstructive vs Central Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a potentially dangerous sleep disorder in which breathing stops for a while during sleep. Sleep apnea can result in complications such as high blood pressure and heart problems. Sleep apnea is mainly of two types: obstructive and central sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea occurs due to the blocking of the airway by the tissues in the throat when the muscles relax during sleep. Central sleep apnea occurs due to the brain that does not send proper signals to the muscles that control breathing. So, this summarizes the difference between obstructive and central sleep apnea.

Reference:

1. “Obstructive Sleep Apnea.” Johns Hopkins Medicine.
2. “Central Sleep Apnea: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments.” WebMD.

Image Courtesy:

1. “CentralApnea” By NascarEd – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “ObstructiveApnea” By NascarEd – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia

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