Obstructive Sleep Apnoea
Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) is a disease that only affects sufferers at night and is when the muscles in the neck and throat relax causing the airway to become narrower or blocked (often demonstrated by loud snoring). The body is able to sense that its airway is blocked and the patient awakes briefly, often accompanied by loud gasping and returns to sleep. This can happen hundreds of times a night and causes the sufferer to have a very interrupted sleep pattern. It is common that the sufferer is unaware that he/she has woken in the night, because the arousal is so brief.
The main symptom of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea is severe daytime sleepiness, for example falling asleep whilst reading, watching TV, whilst driving and in more severe cases whilst talking. Other symptoms include very loud snoring and gasping, breathing pauses during sleep, irritability, morning headaches, night sweats, impotence and frequently passing urine overnight.
Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnoea increases the risk of a person suffering high blood pressure, a heart attack or a stroke. It is also associated with an increased risk of accidents at work and on the road due to excessive daytime sleepiness. In the UK it is estimated that 1 in 25 men and 1 in 50 women are affected between the ages of 30 and 60 and OSA is often associated with a large neck and being overweight. Once diagnosed with OSA the most common and widely accepted treatment is a CPAP (continuous positive airways pressure) which is essentially a motor that blows a pressurised air down the nose and throat via a mask to act as a splint and keep the airways open. You may also be advised to reduce your weight (if over weight) and limit alcohol intake before sleeping as these can worsen the symptoms of OSA.
For more information on Obstructive Sleep Apnoea and its treatment please read the patient education brochures (1 – 4) in the Download Section below.
If you think that you have the symptoms of OSA (particularly excessive daytime sleepiness and loud snoring) please consult your doctor for further advice.
