Central sleep apnea is rare in people who are not seriously ill. It occurs in patients with a variety of severe and life-threatening lower brain stem lesions. The brainstem controls breathing. As a result, any disease or injury affecting this area may result in problems with normal breathing during sleep or when awake.

Conditions that can cause sentral sleep apnea include bulbar poliomyelitis, encephalitis affecting the brainstem, neurodegenerative illnesses, and stroke affecting the brainstem. Other causes include complications of surgery of the cervical spine, secondary radiation in the region of the cervical spine, severe arthritic and degenerative changes in the cervical spine and/or base of skull, or primary hypoventilation syndrome.

Cessation of breathing, especially during sleep, is the primary symptom of central sleep apnea. People with apnea of unknown cause may have frequent awakenings and complain of insomnia.

If a neurological condition is causing the apnea, it may also produce other symptoms such as difficulty swallowing, change in voice, variable weakness, or numbness throughout the body, depending on the underlying disease and what parts of the nervous system it has affected.

• Respiratory function studies
• All-night polygraphic sleep monitoring
• MRI
• Tests to diagnose underlying medical condition