What differentiates Central Sleep Apnea from other sleep disorders?

Central Sleep Apnea is characterized primarily by a lack of respiratory effort during apneic episodes, which is reflected in the absence of thoracic movements. This condition occurs when the brain fails to send appropriate signals to the muscles that control breathing, leading to pauses in breathing that are not accompanied by the typical respiratory effort seen in obstructive sleep apnea, where the airway is physically blocked but the drive to breathe remains intact.

In Central Sleep Apnea, during episodes of apnea, patients do not exhibit the thoracic or abdominal movement associated with breathing because the brain isn’t signaling the body to breathe. This distinguishes it from other forms of sleep apnea, where there might still be thoracic movements due to physical obstruction of the airway. This fundamental difference is crucial in diagnosing Central Sleep Apnea and understanding its physiologic mechanisms.

Other options mentioned relate to symptoms that can be present in various sleep disorders but do not specifically differentiate Central Sleep Apnea. For example, excessive daytime sleepiness and difficulty maintaining sleep can occur in a range of sleep conditions, and while thoracic movements are a direct physical observation during apneic episodes, the key feature for Central Sleep Apnea is notably the absence of those movements.