Sleep apnea Pills.Complex sleep apnea can develop when a person is receiving treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. While both obstructive and central sleep apnea cause a person to experience pauses in their breathing during sleep, the reasons for these pauses are different.Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the airway becomes constricted or blocked, while central sleep apnea occurs when the brain fails to send proper signals to the muscles that control breathing.
How Common Is Complex Sleep Apnea?
It’s estimated that up to 20% of people undergoing CPAP titration for OSA develop complex sleep apnea, though only around 2% continue to have symptoms on long-term CPAP therapy. Complex sleep apnea may be discovered while the doctor monitors or adjusts the pressure settings on a PAP or BiPAP machine.In rare cases, complex sleep apnea is diagnosed after a month or more of PAP treatment. Less than 4% of people on PAP therapy experience delayed complex sleep apnea.Sleep apnea Pills
What Causes Complex Sleep Apnea?
Researchers have identified certain risk factors that increase the likelihood of developing complex sleep apnea. These risk factors include:
Male sex
Advanced age
Sleeping on the back
Opiate usage
Heart disease
Severe obstructive sleep apnea
Higher altitude
Treatment with CPAP or BiPAP on a high setting Complex Sleep Apnea Treatment
Most cases of complex sleep apnea resolve over time. Therefore, a doctor may recommend continuing CPAP therapy and monitoring a person’s progress, rather than immediately changing the treatment plan.
People with persistent complex sleep apnea may not have symptoms. For this reason, doctors will schedule a repeat sleep study, either in a sleep clinic or at home, two to three months after complex sleep apnea was detected, to see if the condition has resolved.Sleep apnea Pills
If repeat testing confirms the presence of complex sleep apnea, the healthcare provider may recommend adjusting treatment by switching to ASV or BiPAP with a back-up rate
Adaptive Servo-Ventilation
Adaptive servo-ventilation may be recommended to treat persistent complex sleep apnea. ASV uses specialized technology to monitor a person’s breathing and adjust the pressure as needed.
ASV can promote a regular breathing pattern during sleep by reducing the air pressure when a person is breathing normally. This helps prevent situations where the brain signals to stop breathing due to low levels of carbon dioxide in the blood.Sleep apnea Pills
ASV is a newer form of treatment and more research is needed to fully understand its benefit. Studies have shown that ASV can effectively treat complex sleep apnea in specific cases but it is not appropriate for everyone. Some people with heart failure should not use ASV.
Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure
If ASV is not an appropriate option, a doctor may recommend treating persistent complex sleep apnea with a BiPAP machine. A BiPAP machine works by delivering two different levels of air pressure during sleep. When you breathe in, the machine increases the air pressure to keep your airway open and when you breathe out, the machine decreases the pressure.
BiPAP treatment for complex sleep apnea uses a backup rate. The back-up rate is a safety feature that provides a set number of breaths per minute when a person is not breathing adequately on their own. This ensures the person gets enough air to help prevent central sleep apnea events.
In some cases the central apnea events will return during BiPAP treatment. Therefore, a doctor will carefully evaluate a person’s medical history and sleep problems to determine which treatment may be best.
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How Overlap Syndrome Is Diagnosed
The way that doctors test for overlap syndrome depends on an individual’s medical history and symptoms. In people with COPD, doctors may recommend a sleep study if they identify potential complications of OSA, like high blood pressure, or symptoms of sleep apnea such as:
Snoring
Waking up choking or gasping
Difficulty sleeping
Headaches in the morning
Daytime tiredness
Difficulty with memory or concentration Experts consider an overnight sleep study the optimal test for diagnosing overlap syndrome in people with COPD. Doctors may also recommend that a person use an at-home pulse oximeter to measure blood oxygen levels overnight.
