SLEEP APNOEA

Condition and symptoms

Sleep apnoea is when you stop breathing at night for a short period of time (about 10 seconds). This can happen in normal people, but in people with sleep apnoea, obstruction of breathing can happen over 5 times an hour. There are very few actual symptoms for Obstructive Sleep Apnoea, which makes the disease very difficult to treat as very few people know that they are suffering. 

Some symptoms described may include:

• Waking up in the morning feeling unrefreshed and still tired. 

• Not getting a good night’s sleep.

• Being tired during the day, and nodding off more easily.

• Feeling mentally tired, difficulty in concentrating and needing extra effort to stay alert.

• Waking up at night gasping or choking.

• Waking up at night to urinate.

• Sweating at night.

• Waking up with a headache in the mornings. 

• Waking up with a dry or sore throat.

• Heart Burn / indigestion.

• Having a reduced sexual drive.

• Feeling depressed, anxious, or irritable.

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Treatment

After Mrs Bentley has taken a detailed history a clear management and treatment plan will be arranged. An endoscopic examination is usually needed during the initial consultation (under local anaesthetic spray). A sleep study may be arranged as well as a sleep nasendoscopy (passing a small flexible endoscope under sedation) to identify the cause of the snoring then a bespoke treatment plan can be arranged including surgery if indicated.