Symptoms of Obstructive and Central Sleep Apnea

One of the most common sleeping disorders observed today is sleep apnea.  An apnea is an event of stopped breathing that can lead directly to poor sleep quality.  In these different cases of apnea, lack of sleep systems including excessive sleepiness will quickly develop.  These symptoms include chronic fatigue and tiredness that can decrease your overall alertness and productivity.  Although apnea is very common, there are different types of the disorder that come from very different causes.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Apnea that is the result of an obstruction or some defect in the construction of the area around the throat and airway is the most common.  These problems are especially noticeable in obese people.  The airway is surrounded by muscles and loose tissue, and the movement of that tissue can cause problems.  During sleep, the muscles relax and it can lead to blockage–especially in those that have poor muscle tone.

Loud snoring can occur with problems involved in breathing and is a tell-tale sign that there is some type of obstruction at least partially blocking the flow of air.  Snoring however is not a definitive diagnosis.  Even the worst snorers may not suffer from any kind of apnea.  People who show no snoring can easily suffer from apnea as well.

Central Sleep Apnea

This type of sleep apnea is much rarer than obstructive.  Central sleep apnea is the result of problems that deal with the nervous system.  Damage to the spinal cord or other vital parts involved in the flow of information to the brain can lead to this type of apnea.  Rather than an obstruction, the body will fail to breathe because it never recieved the message.  This type of apnea is particularly dangerous because it is very hard to diagnose.  The best way to definitively identify central sleep apnea is through the help of specialists conducting a sleep study.