Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) is a serious medical condition that increases your risk of cardiovascular disease and motor vehicle accidents.

What is it? 

People with OSA have a partial or complete obstruction to the upper airway when they go to sleep. When this happens, the flow of air into your lungs is reduced or absent and as a consequence, the amount of oxygen in the blood is decreased. This triggers an arousal response, or a state of being awoken, to open the airway and allow breathing to occur. This can happen many times during sleep. In severe OSA, this may even happen many hundreds of times. You may not be aware that this happens, or you may be aware of waking with a gasping or choking feeling. Often, it is the bed partner that notices the pauses in breathing in between periods of sometimes very loud snoring.   ​

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What are the symptoms?

You may experience one or more of the following:

• Snoring
• Waking up gasping or choking 
• Restless sleep
• Waking unrefreshed
• Morning headaches

As a consequence of sleep disruption, you may also experience: 

• Daytime sleepiness
• Poor concentration
• Moodiness and irritability

OSA also affects your bed partner and with very loud snoring, others in your home. Others you are living with may also have disrupted sleep and its consequences on sleepiness and mood.

Who gets OSA?

• OSA is common in middle aged and older people
• It is more common in men but the risk for women becomes similar after menopause
• Being overweight increases the risk but not everyone with OSA is overweight
• A narrow or crowded airway or facial structures that lead to airway narrowing can play a role in some people
• Nasal congestion or obstruction can increase your risk
• If you snore, you are much more likely to have OSA than someone who doesn't
• If you have high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation (irregular heart beat), heart failure or diabetes, you are at increased risk of OSA

How is OSA treated?

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is the treatment of choice for moderate to severe OSA. A small pump provides just the right amount of pressure while you sleep to keep your airway open via a mask that sits under or over your nose. However, some people may need a mask that covers the nose as well as the mouth. CPAP is very effective at controlling the symptoms of OSA and reduces the long term cardiovascular risks if used consistently. 

For some people, a dental appliance that pulls the lower jaw forward may be a suitable option, especially for milder forms of OSA. For those with mild OSA, losing weight, using a side sleeping aid and reducing alcohol may be enough.

​Talk to your doctor to discuss your treatment options.