What is Central Sleep Apnea?

Featuring Paul Sweeney, RRT (Registered Respiratory Therapist)

Duration: 53 seconds

Central sleep apnea is a condition that is a lot less common than obstructive sleep apnea, but what happens is a person's brain essentially forgets to tell their lungs to breathe.

So subsequently a person stops breathing at night and repetitively wakes up from their sleep. This is quite common in people with cardiac issues, people that have had strokes, or people that are on narcotic-based or opiates at night.

So if you think you have central sleep apnea, the easiest thing to do is talk to your family physician, and in certain situations a referral to a sleep specialist would be appropriate to look at this type of condition. And that's as easy as going to a sleep specialist who will do a test where you sleep in a hospital overnight and they can test you.

Presenter: Mr. Paul Sweeney, Sleep Specialist, Vancouver, BC

Local Practitioners: Sleep Specialist