Treatment for central sleep apnea would depend on the evaluation of the diagnosis and may include – Treating the associated medical problems – Cardiovascular or heart problems and neuromuscular disorders are the dominating causes for central sleep apnea.
Thus it is important to treat or eliminate these base problems completely.
Opioid medications – A person taking opioid medication for more than two months is at higher risk for getting central sleep apnea. If this is the underlining cause for your disorder, your specialist may reduce the dose of this medication.
Supplemental oxygen – Various devices to deliver oxygen to the respiratory system when you are asleep are available in the market. Use of this oxygen supplementation while sleeping may help in the treatment of central sleep apnea.
However it is not recommended for people suffering from heart failure.
Medications – Certain medications can be prescribed like by your specialist to stimulate breathing. For example, people with central sleep apnea due to high altitude a specialist may recommend acetazolamide to ease breathing.
Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) – Along with obstructive sleep apnea, this method is also used to treat central sleep apnea.
CPAP involves wearing a mask which supplies continuous pressurized air through your nose that helps to keep the upper airway open. This method may reduce or eliminate snoring if you are having one and prevent central sleep apnea. CPAP marks should be used as per the direction on the device.
A humidifier along with the CPAP mask would help in some cases. The pressure settings in the CPAP mask will need to be adjusted according to the weight changes and the amount of pressure you are comfortable with. Although some people might find this device uncomfortable to sleep with, some practice to adjust with the mask would help the situation.
If you still experience snoring or other symptoms despite of wearing the mask, then consult your specialist to know the exact problem.
Bilevel positive airway pressure (bilevel PAP) – Unlike CPAP, bievel PAP does not supply continuous pressurized air to the upper airways, but builds a higher pressure on inhalation and lower pressure on exhalation. Central sleep apnea is associated with weak breathing pattern and the main goal of this treatment is to boost the breathing pattern.
Adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV) – This is a much recent finding and this device is mainly used for the treatment of central sleep apnea and complex sleep apnea.
This new device uses greater pressure to regulate the breathing pattern and also prevents cessation in breathing. The machine also stores and monitors the normal breathing pattern in a built-in computer.
