Sleep apnoea - What is it? If you have sleep apnoea, the walls of your throat come together while you sleep, blocking off your upper airway. This blocks your breathing and you stop breathing for a anywhere from 10 seconds to 1 minute until your brain registers that you are not breathing and sends you a wake-up call. This causes you to rouse slightly, open your upper airway, possibly snort and gasp, and then drift back to sleep almost immediately. In most cases, you won’t even realise you woke up. In some cases this pattern can repeat itself every minute you are asleep (ie over 60 times an hour) causing you to have very fragmented sleep. This can leave you feeling tired in the morning, with excessive daytime sleepiness, poor daytime concentration and work performance, and fatigue. It’s estimated that about five per cent of Australians suffer from sleep apnoea, with around one in four men over the age of 30 years affected. Classification of sleep apnoea The class of sleep apnoea depends on how often the breathing is interrupted. As a guide: normal sleep – fewer than five interruptions per hour mild – between 5 and 15 interruptions per hour moderate – between 15 and 30 interruptions per hour severe – more than 30 interruptions per hour. Risks of sleep apnoea People with significant sleep apnoea have an increased risk of: 1. Motor vehicle accidents (due to tiredness) 2. High blood pressure 3. Heart attack 4. Stroke. In the over-30 age group, the disorder is about three times more common in men than women. Associated symptoms of sleep apnoea 1. Daytime sleepiness 2. Fatigue and tiredness 3. Poor concentration 4. Irritability 5. Mood changes 6. Impotence 7. Reduced sex drive 8. Need to get up to toilet frequently at night. Causes of sleep apnoea - the most common are: 1. Obesity see our weight loss page 2. Alcohol, especially in the evening – this relaxes the throat muscles and hampers the brain’s reaction to sleep 3. Certain illnesses, such as reduced thyroid production 4. Certain medical conditions such as the presence of a very large goitre large tonsils or nasal congestion and obstruction 5. Medications such as sleeping tablets and sedatives 6. Facial bone shape and the size of muscles, such as an undershot jaw. Treatment for sleep apnoea 1. Losing weight - see our weight loss page 2. Cut down on alcohol 3. Treat any contributing medical conditions 4. Wearing a specially made mouthguard (or oral appliance or mandibular advancement splint). 5 The most effective treatment is a mask worn at night that prevents the throat from collapsing This is called continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). see our CPAP machines page