What's The Difference Between Sleep Apnea and Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

Do you or a loved one suffer from poor quality of sleep, or perhaps common symptoms of daytime fatigue? You’re probably dealing with something called sleep apnea. But do you know that there are two main forms? Sleep apnea and obstructive sleep apnea are two kinds of conditions.

All share similar characteristics, but again, it is critical to understand the subtle distinctions between these types of sleep disorders to ensure the correct diagnosis and treatment is administered. Here at Snoring and Sleep Solutions of Nevada, our team of sleep specialists can help untangle mysteries for residents of Las Vegas and Nevada.

While both terms are used to describe conditions that refer to episodes of stopping breathing during sleep, there is another important distinction: sleep apnea has further subtypes based on why the airway collapses.

Central sleep apnea arises due to insufficient signals from the brain to initiate breaths. Complex or mixed apnea entails a mix of both central and obstructive events. The most common type of obstructive sleep apnea occurs solely due to physical obstruction or narrowing of the airway by soft tissues of the throat.

Closeup of young woman laying on her back, in the dark with her phone in her hand, looking right into the bright screen over her phone. The light from the phone illuminates her face, and it looks as though she cannot sleep, so she's just up late on her phone.
A man with an eye mask sleeping with his mouth open and probably snoring.

While all the symptoms can be widespread, some other signs can help point out the diagnosis. Obstructive sleep apnea can include loud snoring and more periodic cessation of breathing, often coupled with choking or gagging. Central sleep apnea patients might appear to breathe too quickly or fail to take deep breaths.

Only a sleep study can tell which applies. Snoring and Sleep Solutions of Nevada offers the latest equipment with overnight data capture on breathing, oxygen levels, and brain waves in our state-of-the-art facility.

Based on the outcomes above, our team of experts can then come up with focused, specifically tailored treatment for you. No more losing a single night to poor, fragmented sleep again. Call us today for an intervention toward fruitful, restful days and nights.

So don’t get worn out by trying to figure out on your own what’s going on behind those sleepy eyes. Reach out to our sleep specialists today to bring clarity to your diagnosis and lay the groundwork for a trail to happy, undisturbed nights!