Could your snoring be sleep apnoea?

Snoring can be a symptom of a disorder called sleep apnoea, which is hard to identify and has serious health risks.

Video: sleep apnoea

Sleep apnoea is very common, but less than one in four sufferers are diagnosed. Although sleep apnoea can affect men and women of all ages, it's most common in middle-aged men, affecting about one in 25, according to the Sleep Apnoea Trust.

Sleep apnoea causes daytime sleepiness that can seriously affect people's work and social lives, and their ability to drive safely.

What is sleep apnoea?

Sleep apnoea is when the throat narrows or closes during sleep and repeatedly interrupts your breathing.

This results in a fall in the blood's oxygen levels. The difficulty in breathing causes the brain to wake you up.

This can happen hundreds of times a night without you realising. It leads to poor sleep quality and severe sleepiness during the day.

The good news is that something can be done if you're diagnosed with sleep apnoea.

Symptoms of sleep apnoea

You may not be aware that you have problems breathing while asleep. Often it's a partner or a family member that notices.

However, you may notice these symptoms:

• snoring
• episodes during sleep where you stop breathing
• restless/unrefreshing sleep
• frequent trips to the toilet every night
• morning headaches
• excessive daytime sleepiness and irritability
• poor concentration
• loss of libido

Overweight men aged between 30 and 65 are most likely to have it. Sleep apnoea appears to be less common in women.

Sleep apnoea also affects children, particularly if they have enlarged tonsils or adenoids.

Health risks of sleep apnoea

If left untreated, the condition can increase the risks of high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

People with sleep apnoea are significantly more likely to have a road accident than other people.

Tests show that drivers who are sleepy due to sleep apnoea perform worse than drivers with blood alcohol levels over the legal drink drive limit.

Read how Terry, who has sleep apnoea, fell asleep while driving.

Diagnosing sleep apnoea

Most people who have sleep apnoea can be diagnosed by doing a home recording. Recorders are available from special sleep clinics, and can be worn overnight in bed.

These measure either just the blood oxygen level, or oxygen plus snoring, heart rate and breathing using sensors.

See more about diagnosing sleep apnoea.

Treating sleep apnoea

If you are diagnosed with sleep apnoea, you're likely to be prescribed continuous positive airways pressure (CPAP).

This is where you wear a mask over your nose and mouth, and a machine raises and regulates the pressure of the air you breathe in. This prevents your airway from collapsing during sleep.

CPAP has good results. By controlling the apnoea, it improves sleep quality. You're more likely to wake up feeling refreshed, and stay alert throughout the day.

CPAP also suppresses the snoring, meaning that your partner can sleep better too.

See more about treating sleep apnoea.

Find sleep apnoea services in your area.

5 ways to stop snoring

Snoring is often linked to lifestyle, and there are some simple changes you can make to help prevent it.

Try these five self-help tips:

Maintain a healthy weight and diet. Being overweight by just a few kilos can lead to snoring. Fatty tissue around your neck squeezes the airway and prevents air flowing in and out freely.

Try to sleep on your side rather than your back. While sleeping on your back, your tongue, chin and any excess fatty tissue under your chin can relax and squash your airway. Sleeping on your side prevents this.

Avoid alcohol before going to bed. Alcohol makes your muscles relax more than usual during a normal night's sleep. This may encourage the back of your throat to collapse as you breathe, which causes snoring.

Quit or cut down on smoking. Cigarette smoke irritates the lining of your nose and throat, causing swelling and catarrh. This means airflow is decreased and you're more likely to snore.

Keep your nose clear, so that you breathe in through your nose rather than your mouth. If an allergy is blocking your nose, try antihistamine tablets or a nasal spray. Ask your pharmacist for advice, or see your GP, if you're affected by an allergy or any other condition that affects your nose or breathing, such as sinusitis.

Over-the-counter stop-snoring devices

There are a range of stop-snoring treatments and devices on sale. These include nasal strips, which open the nostrils wider, throat sprays and devices known as mandibular advancement devices (MAD), which reposition the jaw to improve airflow.

Your pharmacist can tell you what's available.

Medical help for snoring

If self-help doesn't work, there are other treatments you can try.

Read more about medical treatments for snoring.