What Products does Isleep Carry?

We proudly offer a wide range of products from leading CPAP brands, including Philips Respironics, ResMed, Fisher & Paykel, Sleep8, and many others. We're here to help you find the perfect solution for your sleep needs. Explore our full selection of products today!

Does Isleep Accept Insurance?

Yes! iSLEEP is in network with Aetna, Cigna, Medicare, Prominence, Hometown Health, Senior Care Plus, and more. We're here to make the insurance process as smooth as possible for you. For more details, be sure to visit our insurance page!

What Mask is the Best For Me?

It depends on the individual, but most people find that they adapt quickly to nasal breathing. That's why we suggest starting with a small, comfortable mask like the Philips Respironics DreamWear or the ResMed AirFit P10. Plus, with our 30-night mask fit guarantee, you can try it out with peace of mind.

Does Isleep Offer Delivery?

Absolutely! You can choose to either pick up your equipment or have it conveniently delivered to your door—whatever works best for you.

What Sets Isleep Apart?

At iSLEEP, we're more than just a sleep center or medical equipment provider—we're your dedicated partner in health! With our commitment to exceptional customer service, competitive pricing, prompt delivery, and unlimited support, we're here to help you every step of the way. Want to learn more about what makes us different? Visit our Company page!

What if I find the same product for less on a different website?

At iSLEEP, we're committed to offering the best prices on all your CPAP and BiPAP supplies and machines. If you find a lower price from an authorized online competitor, we'll gladly match it—and give you an additional 10% off the difference.

What if I don't like my mask or product?

Your satisfaction is our priority! That’s why we offer a 30-night mask exchange guarantee and a 30-night money-back guarantee. If your mask isn't quite right, just give us a call, and we'll gladly swap it out for you. For more information, check out our Refund Policy.

Central Sleep Apnea: Symptoms, Causes & When to Worry

Updated on Jun 9, 2026

Central sleep apnea happens when your brain briefly stops sending the signal to breathe, so you pause breathing during sleep even though your airway is open. Unlike obstructive sleep apnea, it often comes with little or no snoring, and its telltale signs are witnessed breathing pauses, sudden awakenings short of breath, fragmented sleep, and daytime fatigue.

You are not alone if this is the first time anyone has explained that not all sleep apnea is the same. Most people only ever hear about the obstructive kind, the snoring-and-blocked-airway version. So when your symptoms do not quite match that picture, it is easy to feel dismissed or confused, especially if you do not snore at all.

At iSLEEP, we think understanding the difference is the first step toward getting the right answer. So let us walk through what central sleep apnea is, how it differs from the obstructive kind, what causes it, when symptoms warrant attention, and the truth about how it is diagnosed.

The Numbers You Need to Know

Sleep apnea affects an estimated 30 million adults in the United States, and the large majority of cases are obstructive rather than central
Central sleep apnea is uncommon overall; one cross-sectional study reported a prevalence of about 2.7% in men aged 65 and older
It rises sharply with age; research found a central apnea index of 12.1% in older adults compared with 1.8% in a middle-aged group

What Is Central Sleep Apnea?

Central sleep apnea, or CSA, is a breathing disorder in which the brain temporarily fails to signal the muscles that control breathing.

When that signal does not arrive, you simply stop making the effort to breathe for a short period, and then resume. Your airway is not blocked; the pause comes from the control system, not a physical obstruction. That is the core distinction from the far more common obstructive type. CSA is much rarer than obstructive sleep apnea and is often connected to another underlying condition rather than occurring on its own. Our overview of the types of sleep apnea places CSA in the broader picture.

"Central sleep apnea occurs when your brain does not send the signals needed to breathe." - National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Central vs Obstructive Sleep Apnea

The two conditions can look alike from the outside but work in opposite ways internally.

Feature	Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)	Central Sleep Apnea (CSA)
Mechanism	Airway physically collapses	Brain does not signal a breath
Breathing effort	Present, against a blockage	Absent during the pause
Snoring	Common, often loud	Often little or none
Common causes	Anatomy, weight, age	Heart failure, opioids, stroke
Frequency	The large majority of cases	Uncommon

That difference in mechanism is why the absence of snoring does not rule out apnea, and why CSA often requires a different evaluation and treatment path than the obstructive kind.

Symptoms of Central Sleep Apnea

Central sleep apnea symptoms tend to center on disrupted breathing and poor-quality sleep rather than loud snoring.

The most common signs include:

Witnessed pauses in breathing during sleep, often noticed by a partner
Abrupt awakenings with shortness of breath
Difficulty staying asleep, or insomnia-like fragmented sleep
Daytime fatigue and excessive sleepiness
Morning headaches
Difficulty concentrating

One distinctive pattern, called Cheyne-Stokes breathing, involves a gradual rise and fall in breathing depth followed by a pause, and it is strongly associated with heart failure. Because these symptoms overlap with many other conditions, and because loud snoring may be absent, CSA is easy to overlook. If you regularly wake gasping or short of breath, our guide to why you wake up gasping for air covers when that symptom warrants attention.

What Causes Central Sleep Apnea?

Central sleep apnea usually stems from an underlying medical condition or external factor that affects the brain's breathing control.

The main causes and types include:

Heart failure. One of the leading causes, often appearing as Cheyne-Stokes breathing.
Opioid use. Chronic use of opioid medications can suppress the brain's breathing signals.
Stroke and neurological conditions. Damage affecting the brainstem's respiratory centers.
High-altitude periodic breathing. A response to low oxygen at elevation.
Treatment-emergent or complex apnea. Central events that appear when someone starts CPAP for obstructive apnea.
Idiopathic CSA. Cases with no identifiable cause.

Because the heart connection is so significant, the link between sleep apnea and cardiovascular health deserves attention; our article on how sleep apnea impacts heart health explores it further.

Who Is at Higher Risk?

Certain groups are more likely to develop central sleep apnea, largely tied to its underlying causes.

Risk rises with older age, as the data on age shows clearly. Other risk factors include heart conditions such as heart failure and atrial fibrillation, chronic opioid use, a history of stroke, and being male. If you have an existing heart condition and notice disrupted breathing at night, that combination is worth taking seriously rather than waiting it out.

When to Worry

Some symptoms call for prompt evaluation rather than a wait-and-see approach.

Pay particular attention if you experience witnessed breathing pauses together with daytime symptoms, if you wake repeatedly gasping or short of breath, or if you already live with heart disease or take opioids long-term. These are not symptoms to normalize. Repeated breathing interruptions cause oxygen levels to drop, which stresses the heart and brain over time, and CSA in particular is closely tied to serious cardiovascular conditions. Getting evaluated is how you turn uncertainty into a plan.

How Central Sleep Apnea Is Diagnosed

Here is the honest part: confirming central sleep apnea usually requires an in-lab sleep study, not a home test alone.

Home sleep apnea tests, including the WatchPAT One device we use, are validated primarily for obstructive sleep apnea. They are excellent at flagging whether apnea is present, but distinguishing central events and confirming CSA generally calls for in-lab polysomnography, which monitors breathing effort, brain activity, and more. We would rather tell you that plainly than overpromise.

That said, a home test is still a valuable first step. Our at-home sleep test is $189 flat, returns physician-reviewed results in about 72 hours, and a board-certified sleep doctor reviews every result. If your results or symptoms point toward central apnea or anything that needs deeper evaluation, that physician can flag when an in-lab study is the right next move. Our guide to how doctors diagnose sleep apnea walks through the full pathway, and our explanation of the red flags that require a sleep lab covers when home testing is not enough.

How Central Sleep Apnea Is Treated

Treatment for central sleep apnea focuses on the underlying cause first, then on supporting breathing during sleep.

Because CSA is so often secondary to another condition, managing that condition is central to treatment. That might mean optimizing heart failure care, carefully reviewing opioid medications with a physician, or addressing altitude exposure. Beyond that, breathing support options can include adaptive servo-ventilation or bilevel therapy, and supplemental oxygen in some cases. For treatment-emergent central apnea that appears on CPAP, continued CPAP sometimes resolves it over time. The right combination depends entirely on the cause, which is exactly why an accurate diagnosis matters so much.

FAQ

What is central sleep apnea?

Central sleep apnea happens when your brain temporarily stops sending signals to the muscles that control breathing, so you briefly stop breathing during sleep. Unlike obstructive sleep apnea, your airway is not blocked; the problem is the breathing signal itself. CSA is much less common than the obstructive type and is often tied to underlying conditions like heart failure, stroke, or opioid use.

How is central sleep apnea different from obstructive sleep apnea?

In obstructive sleep apnea, your airway collapses or is blocked while your body keeps trying to breathe, often causing loud snoring. In central sleep apnea, the airway stays open but your brain briefly stops triggering breathing effort, so there is often little or no snoring. They share symptoms like fatigue, but their causes, testing needs, and treatments differ in important ways.

Can you have central sleep apnea without snoring?

Yes. Because CSA is caused by missing brain signals rather than a blocked airway, it frequently causes little or no snoring. Telltale signs are more often witnessed breathing pauses, sudden awakenings with shortness of breath, fragmented sleep or insomnia, and daytime fatigue. The absence of loud snoring does not mean you are free of sleep apnea, so persistent symptoms still warrant testing.

Can a home sleep test detect central sleep apnea?

Home sleep apnea tests, including the WatchPAT One, are validated primarily for obstructive sleep apnea, not central sleep apnea. A home test is still a valuable first step to flag whether apnea is present. iSLEEP's board-certified physicians review every result and will flag when an in-lab sleep study is needed to confirm or rule out central sleep apnea.

Is central sleep apnea dangerous?

It can be. Although CSA is rarer than obstructive apnea, repeated breathing pauses cause oxygen levels to drop, which stresses the heart and is closely linked to heart failure and stroke. CSA is also commonly under-recognized. If you notice witnessed pauses, gasping awakenings, or daytime exhaustion, especially alongside heart disease, get evaluated rather than waiting for symptoms to worsen.

Don't Guess About Your Breathing

Central sleep apnea is less common than the obstructive kind, but it is no less important to take seriously, particularly when it travels alongside heart disease or long-term opioid use. The signs are quieter, often without snoring, which is exactly why they get missed. If your symptoms feel real, they deserve a real evaluation.

A simple first step is finding out whether apnea is present at all. Our at-home sleep test gives you a physician-reviewed answer in about 72 hours, at $189 flat, and our doctors will tell you honestly if an in-lab study is the better path.

Finding your path to better sleep is within reach with iSleephst.com.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Please speak with a sleep specialist or your healthcare provider before making decisions about diagnosis or treatment.