What is sleep apnoea? 

Sleep apnoea (also known as obstructive sleep apnoea or OSA) occurs when the throat muscles relax too much during sleep. This is the common form of sleep apnoea.  

A rarer form is central sleep apnoea – where breathing stops during sleep and there is a pause before breathing begins again. It is caused by a disruption to the mechanisms that control the rate and depth of breathing. 

If you have sleep apnoea, the walls of your throat will collapse and become narrow as you breath in while you sleep. Air tries to travel through the narrowed airway and causes vibrations in tissues in the back of the throat – these vibrations produce sounds known as snoring.  

Sometimes the throat can collapse so much that not enough air can get into the lungs (hypopnea), or it blocks off completely and no air gets into the lungs (apnoea).  

You may have partial or complete obstructions where your breathing may decline or stop for a short time (generally between 10 seconds and up to one minute). These are sometimes called episodes or interruptions.   

When these things happen, the brain gets messages that something is wrong and will arouse itself from sleep for a few seconds. Most people are not aware of these arousals.  

This pattern can repeat itself hundreds of times every night, causing you to have fragmented sleep. This can leave you feeling unrefreshed in the morning with fatigue and sleepiness throughout the day and contributing to poor concentration and work performance.  

Who gets sleep apnoea? 

Anyone can get sleep apnoea. It’s estimated that about 5% of Australians have sleep apnoea, with around 1 in 4 men over the age of 30 affected. In the over-30 age group, the disorder is about 3 times more common in men than women.  

People with narrow throats are more likely to have sleep apnoea and snore during sleep as their throat muscles relax.  

Degrees of severity of sleep apnoea 

The severity of sleep apnoea depends on how often your breathing is interrupted. As a guide: 

· normal sleep – fewer than 5 interruptions per hour 

· mild sleep apnoea – between 5 and 15 interruptions per hour 

· moderate sleep apnoea – between 15 and 30 interruptions per hour 

· severe sleep apnoea – more than 30 interruptions per hour. 

Some of the symptoms of sleep apnoea include: 

· Poor quality sleep – with regular periods of reduced or absent breathing often accompanied by loud snoring and/or gasping for air. 

· Daytime sleepiness and fatigue. 

· Dry mouth and headaches upon waking. 

· Poor concentration, poor memory and slow reaction times. 

· Irritability and mood changes. 

· Depression and anxiety. 

· Impotence (erectile dysfunction) and reduced sex drive (libido). 

· Need to get up to toilet frequently at night. 

Treatments for sleep apnoea

Sleep apnoea does not always need to be treated if it's mild.

But many people need to use a device called a CPAP machine. You'll be given this for free on the NHS if you need it.

CPAP machine

A CPAP machine gently pumps air into a mask you wear over your mouth or nose while you sleep.

It can help:

· improve your breathing while you sleep by stopping your airways getting too narrow

· improve the quality of your sleep and help you feel less tired

· reduce the risk of problems linked to sleep apnoea (like high blood pressure)

Using a CPAP machine may feel strange or awkward at first, but try to keep using it. It works best if you use it every night.

Tell your doctor if you find it uncomfortable or hard to use.

Other treatments

Less common treatments for sleep apnoea include:

· a gum shield-like device that holds your airways open while you sleep (mandibular advancement device)

· surgery to help your breathing, such as removing large tonsils

These treatments may not work as well as a CPAP machine.