Sleep Apnea Defined

Other types of sleep apnea include the following:

• Central Sleep Apnea: A type of sleep apnea that occurs when the autonomic drive to breathe is disrupted, causing both airflow and respiratory effort to cease. Central sleep apnea is a nervous system disorder that can result from heart or cerebrovascular disease or injury to the brain.
• Mixed Sleep Apnea: A combination of both obstructive and central sleep apnea events. Often, an initial central event is followed by a secondary obstructive event.

On this website, the term “sleep apnea” is used to refer to obstructive sleep apnea, which accounts for 85-90% of all sleep apnea disorders.