What is Obstructive Sleep Apnoea?

Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) is a serious medical condition that is more widespread than initially thought. In the UK Obstructive Sleep Apnoea occurs on a similar frequency as Type 1 Diabetes and double that of severe Asthma.

Obstructive Sleep Apnoea OSA is when a person stops breathing while asleep, which can be up to 50 to 60 times per hour. These breathing interruptions, known as “Sleep Apnoea” occur when the airway narrows so much that it closes. If we compare Obstructive Sleep Apnoea to simple snoring, simple snoring is the vibration of the soft tissue in the throat caused by a partial closure of the airway, whereas OSA is caused by the complete closure of the airway.

The closure of the airway causes breathing to stop, which in turn reduces the oxygen level in the blood. The brain reacts by releasing adrenalin, which causes a partial wakening of the snorer. The snorer will often not be aware of this partial wakening during the night. Many sufferers have excessive daytime sleepiness, which is bad enough in itself but often they are unable to concentrate, experience marital disharmony and they fall asleep at times when they don’t want to be asleep. Obstructive Sleep Apnoea makes them at least twice as likely to have a motor accident if they are driving¹. However, this is not the worst news. Research has demonstrated that the repeated falls in oxygen levels in the blood caused by OSA are linked to the development of high blood pressure, heart disease, strokes and diabetes². The reality is that untreated OSA is a killer and needs to be taken seriously and there are many snorers who simply don’t even know how serious their condition might be.

For this reason we have made available a FREE online SNORING ASSESSMENT to determine the likelihood of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea and also we offer a PRIVATE SLEEP STUDY at £250 + VAT in the privacy of their own home.

Assess the likelihood of having Obstructive Sleep Apnoea here.

Order a Private Sleep Study here.

If you are diagnosed with mild or moderate OSA then the sleep physician will most likely recommend Sleepwell for your snoring treatment and OSA treatment but if you have severe OSA then the physician will recommend treatment with continuous positive air pressure CPAP.

1. Barbe F, Pericas J. Automobile Accidents in Patients with Sleep Apnoea Syndrome. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1998; 158:18-22.

2. Parish JM, Somers VK. Obstructive sleep apnea and cardiovascular disease. Mayo Clin Proc 2004; 79(8):1036-1046 Ip MS, Lam B, Ng MM, Lam WK, Tsang KW, Lam KS, Obstructive sleep apnea is independently associated with insulin resistance; Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2002; 165(5):670-676. Meslier N, Gagnadoux F, Giraud P, Person C, Ouksel H, Urban T et al. Impaired glucose-insulin metabolism in males with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome. Eur Respir J 2003; 22(1):156-160.

Below is a Flash animation that shows the anatomy of snoring and OSA and how the Sleepwell ™ device can help. (If you do not have the Flash player installed, you can download it for FREE: click here)

Find out if your snoring is an indication of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea.

Obstructive Sleep Apnoea OSA is a sleep related breathing disorder where a person stops breathing for periods while asleep. These interruptions in breathing (Apnoeas) occur when the airway narrows so much that it closes. If we compare OSA to simple snoring, snoring is the vibration caused by a semi collapsible airway, whereas OSA occurs when the airway closes completely.

The blockage in the airway causes breathing to stop for up to 20 seconds , which in turn makes the brain react by shocking the body with adrenalin, partially waking the sufferer. Because these Apnoeas occur during sleep and causing a partial waking, OSA sufferers are not aware of how many times this cycle happens during the night.

An OSA sufferer will snore loudly, their partner may tell them that they also stop breathing during sleep and both could find that proper sleep becomes impossible leading to sleepiness and other problems during the day.

HOW SEVERE IS YOUR OSA?
Obstructive Sleep Apnoea can be described as severe, moderate and mild, with the symptoms and consequences varying in seriousness.

The severity of OSA is measured by the number of times the patients stops breathing and the duration of each occurrence.

To evaluate the severity of your Obstructive Sleep Apnoea.