Chris Rogers
Managing Secretary and Trustee, Sleep Apnoea Trust Association
Written by Chris Rogers etc, with contribution from the Board of the Sleep Apnoea Trust Association
Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is caused by excessive narrowing of the throat during sleep. Anything that narrows the throat such as enlarged tonsils, or a set-back lower jaw, makes it easy for the throat to close and block the airway.
Do you snore loudly and fall asleep during waking hours? Does your spouse or partner’s snoring disturb your sleep? Do they seem to stop breathing while asleep? If the answer to these questions is YES, then you may well suffer from a serious but treatable condition called Obstructive Sleep Apnoea.
What is obstructive sleep apnoea?
People with OSA do not sleep properly. Sleep is constantly disrupted by snoring and pauses in breathing for short periods. This can happen several hundred times each night. Sufferers often fall asleep during the day even when working. It can also affect health in other ways (see the NHS website).
OSA is more common in men than women. The most important risk factor is being overweight and having a big neck. Extra neck fat squashes the throat from the outside, particularly when those muscles become floppier with sleep. However, women, girls and children are also affected.
Sleep is constantly disrupted by snoring
and pauses in breathing for short periods.
How to deal with obstructive sleep apnoea
There are two quick questionnaires in our information sheet ‘What is OSA – The Facts,’ which can be downloaded from our website. If your score is high, take the results to your GP to consider referral to an NHS Sleep Clinic in your area.
They will carry out a sleep study — usually in your home — and if you have OSA, there is a simple and effective treatment available.
The most common treatment is to use a CPAP machine, a small electric pump that delivers slightly pressurised air to the upper airway via a mask, keeping the airway open during sleep.
CPAP restores refreshing sleep, improves energy levels and can be transformational. If you think you have OSA, the first step is to talk to your GP and get a referral to a Sleep Clinic. They will carry out a sleep test, and if you are diagnosed with OSA, treatment will quickly follow.
For more information, visit the Sleep Apnoea Trust (SATA) website: sleep-apnoea-trust.org.
