Definition
Sleep apnoea is a sleep disorder characterized by repeated episodes of paused (apnoea) or shallow breathing (hypopnoea) during sleep. These interruptions may last from a few seconds to minutes and can occur dozens to hundreds of times a night. Most commonly, it is associated with loud snoring, and as normal breathing resumes, patients may make choking or gasping sounds.
Classification:
- Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) – Most common type
- Caused by partial or complete obstruction of the upper airway during sleep.
- Breathing effort is present but ineffective due to the blockage.
- Often leads to intermittent hypoxia and fragmented sleep.
- Central Sleep Apnoea (CSA)
- Results from a failure in the brain's respiratory control centers to send proper signals to the breathing muscles.
- No respiratory effort is made during the pause.
- Commonly seen in older adults and those with heart conditions or neurological disease.
- Mixed Type
- Features of both OSA and CSA.
- Begins as central apnoea but ends with obstruction.