Last updated on April 28th, 2023 at 04:24 pm
One of the huge problems with diagnosing sleep apnoea is that it is extremely hard to put your finger on the symptoms of it because, well, they happen when you’re asleep. 3.5 million People in the UK alone have sleep apnoea, and 3.3 million of those are completely unaware that they suffer from OSA. This of course is bad news in a lot of ways. 3.3 million People out there have to live with a lower quality of life, with increased risks of high blood pressure and heart disease, and with a life expectancy eight years lower than if they had treatment. 3.3 million People out there could be driving dangerously with it being 6 to 15 times more likely that a driver with sleep apnoea will have a road traffic accident compared to those who are treated or do not have a sleeping disorder. 26% of that 3.3 million are commercial drivers.
So what is there to do about this? Sleep apnoea and its treatment, CPAP, are relatively little known to the general public and with the symptoms and effects of the condition being rather subtle and slow growing, people don’t always know what is happening to them. It is a serious condition and one that needs a lot more attention, bad sleep can have many bad effects on people. Tell your friends, your family, and your long lost uncle and get them to ask their bed partner to keep an eye on them. Heavy snoring, gasping, morning headaches, excessive daytime sleepiness, fatigue, feeling unrested, waking up in sweats are all signs of OSA, or another sleep apnoea and the person should look for a sleep study as soon as is humanly possible.