Central Sleep Apnea Causes

Central sleep apnea can be caused by a number of conditions that affect the ability of your brainstem which links your brain to your spinal cord and controls many functions such as heart rate and breathing to control your breathing.

Central sleep apnea causes. The respiratory control center in the brain normally regulates breathing. It is a result of a problem in the brain or heart. If the apnea is not associated with another disease it is called idiopathic central sleep apnea.

Central sleep apnea is a breathing disorder that causes your body to decrease or stop the effort of breathing during sleep. Central sleep apnea usually gets detected during the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. This is one of the most common causes of central sleep apnea.

The cause varies with the type of central sleep apnea you have. Juanmonino Getty Images Overview. In severe cases the patient will not be able to breath at all or hisher breathing may become too shallow that the body will fail to receive a sufficient amount of oxygen.

That obstruction causes temporary lapses in breath. When the brain fails to signal the muscles that control breathing the pauses become longer to the point that they become dangerous. CSA happens because there is a problem with the brains system for controlling muscles involved in respiration leading to slower and shallower breathing.

Central sleep apnea which occurs when your brain doesnt send proper signals to the muscles that control breathing Complex sleep apnea syndrome also known as treatment-emergent central sleep apnea which occurs when someone has both obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea If you think you might have sleep apnea see your doctor. Certain medicines such as narcotic painkillers. The exact cause of central sleep apnea is not known.

There are chemoreceptors in the body which are governed by oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the bloodstream. Problems that affect the brainstem including brain infection stroke or conditions of the cervical spine neck Severe obesity. This results in shortness of breath or difficulty with falling asleep or staying asleep.