How many types of sleep apnea are there?

How many types of sleep apnea are there?

Irshaad Ebrahim (Medical Director of The London Sleep Centre) gives expert video advice on: What is sleep apnea?; How many types of sleep apnea are there?; How can people with sleep apnea be treated? and more...

There are 2 types of sleep apnea. There is what we call central sleep apnea. In other words, where the brain is damaged and that causes breathing to stop in sleep. Central sleep apnea is usually associated with a brain disorder such as having had a stroke. The more common form of sleep apnea is called obstructive sleep apnea. This occurs most commonly in men over fifty years of age who are over weight, who snore, have a large collar size, and they tend to be sleepy in the day. There are other forms or other causes of obstructive sleep apnea, other than being male, overweight, and over fifty. In some individuals who have large tonsils or anatomical problems in the back of the throat such as large tonsils, elongated soft palette. They have obstructed sleep apnea due to an anatomical problem. The tonsils or the soft palette actually obstruct the air way. These individuals can easily be treated by surgical intervention.