Do You Have Sleep Apnoea?

Are you concerned that you or someone you know may have sleep apnoea? If so you are not alone. Obstructive sleep apnoea is believed to affect up to 20% of people in some demographics. On average it takes 18 years before sleep anpoea sufferers get diagnosed and treated. So unfortunately there is a larger number of people who are suffering the effects of sleep apnoea yet unaware they have it. This happens because people get used to the symptoms of daytime sleepiness and morning headaches.

Lous snoring is very common in people with obstructive sleep apnoea. The causes of snoring and sleep apnoea are closely related and could be considered part of the same spectrum of sleep related breathing disorders. In people with obstructive sleep apnoea the snoring will be accompanied by regular pauses in breathing whilst the sufferer is asleep. The person will stop breathing and the snoring will stop, this will last for 10-20 seconds and possibly longer. Eventually the bodies emergency system will get them breathing again. This is normally accompanied by loud gasp or choking sound.

Other symptoms of obstructive sleep apnoea include nocturia (the need to get up and unriate during the night), learning difficulties, memory loss, mood swings and lack of interest in sex.

Obstructive sleep apnoea increases the risk of having a car accident due to daytime sleepiness. There are unfortunately many other effects of untreated sleep apnoea that are just as deadly. They include an increased risk of stroke, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. Some experts have surmised that left untreated sleep apnoea can decrease a person's life expectancy by up to 20 years.

The risk of sleep apnoea increases with weight gain and age. Being overweight and a snorer is highly predictive of sleep apnoea risk.

The only way to really know if you or someone you know has sleep apnoea is to have a sleep study. Sleep studies can be performed by an overnight stay at a sleep center, although nowadays it is very common for people to take the test at home. The home sleep study equipment is small and easy to set up. The results are then downloaded from the equipment and a diagnosis made.

If obstructive sleep apnoea is suspected then it is highly recommended you or the person you know sees a doctor without delay. People suffering from sleep apnoea have been known to die in their sleep from asphyxiation.