Central sleep apnea is one of the sub-types of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is the medical condition wherein a person will stop breathing multiple times during a single night; this condition can be classified into a number of types based on the cause behind the sleep apnea. When sleep apnea is caused due to malfunctioning or trauma to a person’s brain, the condition is classified as central sleep apnea.
Central Sleep Apnea-Scientific Definition
Your breathing is controlled by the muscles in your air passageway and lungs. These muscles in turn are controlled by your brain. Medical science defines central sleep apnea as the medical condition where, due to damage to the part of the brain which controls breathing, the breathing of a person becomes erratic i.e. the person stops breathing multiple times in a single night.
When the brain is exposed to trauma of any sort whether it is from a physical force or due to a previous medical condition or due to a virus, it will get damaged. If the damage occurs in the region whose sole purpose is to control your breathing then naturally problems will occur. These problems occur because the damaged brain will send out mixed signals to the muscles in your airway; these mixed signals will make your muscles to contract or relax in an erratic manner. This causes all of the problems associated with central sleep apnea.
If you think that you suffer from this condition make sure to visit your doctor immediately. This medical condition if left untreated can be very harmful to your health. The usual treatments involve curing of the under laying condition which is causing the central sleep apnea or the prevention of sleep apnea by using a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine to forcibly deliver air into your airway.
