There are three types of sleep apnea, however only two are discussed the most. There is obstructive sleep apnea, which is the most common type for this condition. With obstructive sleep apnea, your throat muscles collapse while you’re sleeping.
The other type of sleep apnea is called central sleep apnea. This type happens when your breathing muscles do not receive the right signals. The third one, which most people don’t experience, is called complex or mixed sleep apnea. This type is a combination of both conditions.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Obstructive Sleep Apnea, or OSA, blocks the air passage in your throat. Some other things that happen with this type of sleep disorder are:
- While you’re sleeping, the throat muscles collapse inward as you are breathing.
- Air will go through the upper airway. This includes the nose, mouth and throat areas.
- As the muscles get wider, they block the collapse in order for the airway to remain open.
- You will have less oxygen in your blood. This causes your lungs to absorb air from the outside.
- Apnea happens when the back throat tissues are temporarily blocked. You stop breathing and if you wake up you may have to gasp for breath.
- Even if you do gasp for air or make snorting sounds, you may not necessarily wake up.
If you experience five or more apnea episodes per hour, it is considered to be part of obstructive sleep apnea.
Central Sleep Apnea
Central sleep apnea is not as common as obstructive sleep apnea. This type of sleep apnea starts in the brain (central nervous system). The brain will not send a signal to the airway muscles so that they can breathe.
The level of oxygen decreases and you will probably wake up. With this type of sleep apnea, people usually remember waking up. If you have heart disease or heart failure, then you are experiencing central sleep apnea.
Complex or Mixed Apnea
As mentioned earlier in this report, this is the combination of obstructive and central sleep apnea. With this type of sleep apnea, you will deal with obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA. In addition to that with good pressure from the airway, you will have constantly central sleep apnea.
If you are using CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure), the central sleep apnea will be acknowledged. This happens after the obstruction has been cleared.