Types Of Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a condition in which people who have this ailment experience breathing pauses or shallow breathing whenever they are sleep. The apneas, or pauses in breathing, happen as often as 30 or more times per hour. A recent study showed that between 12 and 18 million adults in the USA have sleep apnea.

Three Types Of Sleep Apnea

There are thee main types of sleep apneas. These are:

Obstructive sleep apnea. In this type of apnea, a person’s airway becomes partially or fully blocked during sleep. This can happen because the muscles of the throat and tongue relax more than they should during sleep and this in turn hinders air flow to the lungs. Having tonsils that are big compared with the opening of the windpipe and being overweight, which can narrow the inside of the windpipe, can also lead to a blocked airway during sleep. The blocked airway can lead to a drop in the person’s blood oxygen levels which then triggers the brain to arouse you from sleep, so that your airway re-opens.

Central sleep apnea. This type of apnea is less common than obstructive sleep apnea. With central sleep apnea, the brain stops sending signs to the muscles which permit you to breath. This ailment may be due to other medical problems that affect the person’s brain steam, Parkinson's disease, obesity, and heart failure.

Mixed sleep apnea. This is a type of apnea that has a combination of obstructive and central sleep apnea.

Info source: advancedsleeprx.com