Central Sleep Apnea Treatments and Medication Explained

If you have central sleep apnea you are one of the rare people with this type of sleep apnea. Central sleep apnea occurs due to a problem with brain signals. This can cause a person to stop breathing periodically while they sleep. However, many people who suffer from central sleep apnea also have obstructive sleep apnea, which is much more common and is caused by some type of obstruction in the airway.

While there are several treatment options for obstructive sleep apnea, this hasnt always been the case for central sleep apnea. OSA patients can either undergo surgery to remove the obstruction or use a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine to force air in and out of the lungs. However, recent studies of the sleep drug Ambien have found that it may benefit those suffering from central sleep apnea.

A study was conducted by Syed Quadri, M.D. at the Henry Ford hospital in which he tested Ambien for use on central sleep apnea patients. Ambien is used as a sleeping aid, but the results were very interesting. The study was done by administering central sleep apnea patients with Ambien for a 6 week period. It was found that their sleep apnea greatly improved. 20 patients participated in the study, taking a polysomnographic test before and after the study. Most patients experienced an average reduction in sleep apnea episodes from 30 to 13 per hour. These results are very exciting indeed!

Since Ambien is typically used as a temporary sleeping aid, the long term affects are not clear. It is important for central sleep apnea sufferers to realize that Ambien has not been thoroughly tested for this purpose and should not be used unless under specific instructions by their doctor. However, this does show a break through in they study of central sleep apnea and we can look forward to more discoveries about this little known condition in the future.

Rudy Watkins writes about sleep apnea and other sleep disorders for the Sleep Conditions website. Read more and sign up for our free newsletter at http://www.sleepconditions.com

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