Mixed Sleep Apnea
What is Mixed Sleep Apnea?
Most of sleep apnea patients suffer from Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) or Central Sleep Apnea (CSA). OSA is caused when the airway in the throat is blocked because a soft tissue is in its way. CSA is the result of the failure of brain over breathing that causes the apnea's period. If the patient is experiencing symptoms of both obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea, then that apnea is called Mixed Sleep Apnea. Mixed sleep apnea is more complicated and difficult to treat compared to the other types of sleep apnea.
Symptoms of Mixed Sleep Apnea
Mixed sleep apnea can be diagnosed when a person suffers from both, the blockage in airway and loss of control over the breathing from the brain. Hence, the disease becomes more severe than normal apnea where common treatments for apnea can be ineffective. Sometimes treating obstructive sleep apnea may not help to treat central sleep apnea. It is also observed that patients, who have gone through the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea, experience the symptoms of central sleep apnea too.
Chronic heart failure is also a symptom of mixed sleep apnea that can be regularly found in patients of the disease. Patients with chronic heart disease will have effects like low heart rate, constant coughing and short breathing that lead to the sleep apnea disease. However, while heart failure shows signs of obstructive sleep apnea, it also signals mixed sleep apnea.
Causes of Mixed Sleep Apnea
Use of opiates can result mixed sleep apnea. Respiratory system can be affected by opiates such as the narcotics. This leads towards the central sleep apnea symptoms. Therefore, people who take opiates have more chances of getting mixed sleep apnea, especially when the patients are already suffering from obstructive sleep apnea. Slowly, when the nervous system gets affected and sleep apnea begins to show, obstructive sleep apnea symptoms become worse and severe the human body and mind.
If a person is suffering from one sleep problem, its symptoms increase by the existence of other sleep issues. In this situation, a weakened heart condition, restless sleep and increase in lethargy are the common causes of sleep apnea. These factors make a blockage in the airway, and the brain fails to take control of proper breathing. Sometimes when the situation worsens the mixed sleep apnea cannot be treated.
Fortunately, an effective treatment for one type of sleep apnea (central sleep apnea or obstructive sleep apnea) will help to manage the symptoms of other. The best way to tackle mixed sleep apnea is to balance the body and brain that finally helps the person treat mixed sleep apnea symptoms. Healthy physique recovers the physical damage of brain.
