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central sleep apnea

noun
variants: also

central apnea

Medical Definition of central sleep apnea

  1. :  sleep apnea that is caused by a disturbance in the brain's respiratory center Less common is central apnea (not usually linked to snoring), in which the brain fails to send the appropriate signals to the breathing muscles.—Andrew Weil, Self Healing, March 2002—compare obstructive sleep apnea

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