New type of snoring is complex
New research has begun to uncover the complexity of snoring, with the categorisation of a new type of sleep apnoea
New research has begun to uncover the complexity of snoring, with the categorisation of a new type of sleep apnoea
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| It may be incredibly annoying, but it could also be complex too. |
Lead researcher, Dr Timothy Morgenthaler said: “This phenomenon has been observed for years, but this study is the first attempt to categorise these people.”
In obstructive sleep apnoea, the more common form, the throat muscles relax and the airway is narrowed, momentarily cutting off breathing and resulting in noisy snoring. With central sleep apnoea, the brain does not send proper signals to the muscles that control breathing.
The new research, published in the journal Sleep, suggests that the newly discovered complex variety is a combination of these two. Patients with complex sleep apnoea at first appear to have obstructive sleep apnoea and stop breathing 20 to 30 times per hour each night. For that problem, a continuous airway pressure machine (CPAP) can open a patient’s airway. But in patients with complex sleep apnoea, even when CPAP is used to open the airway, they still can’t breathe normally, and symptoms of central sleep apnoea occur.
“When they put on a CPAP machine, they start to look like central sleep apnoea syndrome patients,” explained Dr Morgenthaler. The team now hope they can understand why some people get complex sleep apnoea with a view to finding a cure.
