I know that sleep position can affect obstructive sleep apnea because of the structures in the throat relaxing and closing off. But has anyone read any studies on central sleep apnea being affected by position? I can't think of why position would matter.

The reason I ask is that I don't have many, if any, events when supine, but I have a lot of them when I sleep on my side.

SnoozeHunter,

I don't see position having any direct effect on CSA.  The reason I say that is my sleep doc said that the most major cause of CSA is OSA, and supine sleeping makes OSA worse... which, in turn, could cause CSA, but that's just my own $.02 worth of theoretical thinking.  Please anybody else chime in with other thoughts.


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<>< Sleepy Scott <><
Job 7:13-15

Thanks for the reply, Sleepy Scott.

I hadn't heard that the major cause of CSA is OSA. Or maybe I hadn't heard it put that way before. I have been trying to sleep on my back, hoping it helps reduce my apnea since sometimes I'm unable to sleep with the machine.

Snoozehunter,

Sleeping on your back is bad for OSA because gravity helps to obstruct the airway.  If you want to try a better sleeping position, try sleeping on your side.  You might want to try the tennis ball trick.  Take a piece of material about 8" square and sew it to the back of your sleep shirt with a tennis ball between it and the shirt.  It will be very uncomfortable to the point that you can't sleep on your back.  If you decide to try this, PM me and let me know how it works.

Thanks,


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<>< Sleepy Scott <><
Job 7:13-15

Hi, Sleepy Scott!

According to my sleep studies, my events occur when I'm on my sides, not when I'm on my back. I know...I'm an oddball. And most of the apneas were centrals, not obstructive. That's why I wondered if centrals might tend to be positional like obstructive apneas, only the opposite, side instead of back. Or...maybe I'm misremembering what my reports said. I'll look at them again.

Thanks!

Hi SnoozeHunter

        I had many CSA's during my test as well, and is a concern to me. There is a good article on CSA and pretty much explains it in the FAQ section which I found on this forum. I've read that too much pressure from the CPAP machine  can cause them, sleeping on your back, as already mentioned by SleepyScott, some damage to your neurological system  caused by an accident, or any meds(beta blockers) if you take them. The article also stated that some are perfectly normal,(which I didn't understand), but that's me.

 I do take a high blood pressure med called Nadolol, which is a beta blocker and from what I have read could cause you to have CSA's

  The article did mention it was more difficult to determine the cause due to there being more involved they have to look at, plus just being a neurological function. I'm still persuing my issues with my Primary care to see if my meds should be changed.

   Good luck

Regards

Paul