A sleep-related breathing disorder in which breathing repeatedly decreases or stops because respiratory drive is absent or unstable, rather than because the upper airway is obstructed. It requires clinical differentiation from obstructive apnea.
Central sleep apnea, or CSA, describes recurring reductions or pauses in breathing during sleep that occur when respiratory effort is absent or unstable. This differs from obstructive sleep apnea, where the upper airway narrows or closes despite continued effort to breathe. Central events can occur in different clinical settings and have multiple mechanisms. Their interpretation depends on the sleep study pattern, medical history, medications, altitude, cardiovascular status, ventilatory control, and other context. A consumer wearable cannot reliably distinguish central from obstructive events. An oxygen drop, respiratory-rate change, or breathing-disruption flag may appear in either context—or from sensor error or a non-apnea cause. STOP-Bang is designed to screen obstructive apnea risk and does not screen specifically for central apnea. Sleepgenic uses the term to prevent a category error: “breathing disruption” is not synonymous with “obstructive apnea.” The cause and subtype remain clinical questions requiring appropriate testing.
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