larryn,

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

Yes, I believe concussion can cause sleep apnea, especially Central Sleep Apnea.

I suffer from CSA. I believe my problem is due to upper neck inflammation causing a disruption in the brain stem/autonomic nervous system. The first time I experienced CSA I was awake on the bed getting an EEG preformed. I was sleep deprived and was trying to fall asleep for a sleep EEG. The rolled up towel under my head had my neck in an awkward bent state. As I would try to relax enough to fall asleep, my breathing would stop and I would become short of breath.

Nevertheless, I never could fall asleep so the EEG was inconclusive.

I have been able to reproduce this situation at home. I also have been observed having 12 to 16 CSA episodes in a hour by my wife. Yes, she stayed up one night and watched and counted.

My only solution has been very careful sleep positions. I start to fall asleep in a recliner chair. I then get in bed flat on my back with my pillow rolled up and supporting my head so it does not roll to the side. If I can fall asleep immediately stay in this position, I can avoid the CSA and get good sleep. If I toss and roll to my side, I will likely has CSA episodes and wake my wife. She will usually wakes me and tells me to go sleep in my recliner.

If she gets up in the morning and notices my breathing is irregular, she can expect me to have a rough day.

When she finds me asleep in my recliner, she checks to see how well I am breathing.

There is a diaphragm stimulatory made by Avery BioMedical that is designed to assist with breathing. Check out http://www.averybiomedical.com/index.html It stimulates the phrenic nerve to cause a breath to be taken.

Kind of extreme but for some of us, extreme measure are needed. I am not needing such extreme measures yet.

There are Pulse Oximeters that can be set to wake you went your Ox level gets low. They fit to the finger. Avery Biomedical hope to have a Pulse Ox based demand breathing stimulator in the future. Their current system is constantly on at a preset rhythm.

So, welcome to the CSA club on NT.