A sleep expert has warned that a 'massively underdiagnosed' condition could be the cause of poor sleep for many people, with serious consequences for their overall health. Dr Sandip Banerjee, Respiratory Consultant and Sleep Specialist at Private Sleep Clinic, says sleep apnoea is 'an incredibly undiagnosed condition', affecting an estimated 8-10 million people in the UK, with around 80 per cent of cases remaining undiagnosed.
What is sleep apnoea?
Sleep apnoea is a blanket term for sleep disorders that cause your breathing to stop and start repeatedly throughout the night. The most common type is obstructive sleep apnoea, or OSA. The condition is serious because it repeatedly interrupts breathing during sleep, causing blood oxygen levels to drop and forcing the brain to wake you up just enough to breathe. These frequent, sudden drops in oxygen trigger a flood of stress hormones that strain the cardiovascular system, raising the risk of high blood pressure, irregular heart rhythms, heart attacks, heart failure, and stroke.
Dr Banerjee explains: "OSA occurs when your throat and soft tissues relax during sleep, causing a blockage in your airways. This blockage then causes constant disruption to your sleep throughout the night as your body struggles to get enough oxygen, with intermittent hypoxia being one of the hallmark features of the condition."
Symptoms to watch for
The most commonly known symptom of sleep apnoea is loud snoring, but other signs may not be immediately connected. Dr Banerjee says: "The symptoms of sleep apnoea are most apparent during the day itself. When you wake up, you’ll often have a very dry mouth and throat, along with occasional morning headaches due to the hypoxia. As you continue through the day, you’ll usually feel more tired than you should, along with experiencing heightened levels of fatigue and weakness."
Chronic sleep deprivation linked to sleep apnoea can impact metabolism and increase the likelihood of developing insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and fatty liver disease.
What to do if you suspect sleep apnoea
If you think you may be suffering from sleep apnoea, the best thing to do is book an appointment with your GP. Dr Banerjee recommends recording audio or video of your sleep beforehand to provide evidence and help your GP make a more informed decision. If your doctor suspects sleep apnoea, they may refer you to a specialist clinic for further testing, usually involving devices overnight to monitor your sleep, which he says can often be done at home.
Treatment depends on the severity of the condition. "For some, sleep apnoea can be treated by certain lifestyle changes, such as quitting smoking, avoiding alcohol, and losing weight, all of which can improve the quality of your sleep," Dr Banerjee says. "For more serious sufferers, you may be given a continuous positive airway pressure machine, also known as a CPAP machine. These machines work by gently pumping air into a mask worn over your nose and mouth whilst you sleep, helping to improve your breathing and alleviate the symptoms of sleep apnoea."
Dr Banerjee adds: "While an increased likelihood of suffering from poor mental health is one of the key aspects of obstructive sleep apnoea, it's also linked to some quite severe physical conditions as well. OSA is associated with a greater risk of developing cardiovascular issues such as hypertension, atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease, and eventually heart failure, so it really is in your best interest to get it checked out." He concluded: "Identifying and treating the condition can soon lead to much better sleep quality, and therefore a much better overall quality of life, so the best advice is to avoid putting off getting it checked out."
