Mind & Body

Take action to stop sleepless nights

Does your partner's snoring keep you awake at night?

This can often be a symptom of a more serious condition so rather than simply banishing them to another bed take a closer look.

Sleep apnoea affects breathing when you are sleeping, due to a narrowing or total closure of the airway which results in disturbed sleep.

Although your partner will most likely be unaware of this disturbance during the night, you may hear the tell-tale signs of sleep apnoea – excessive snoring followed by a period of silence, and then, perhaps, a loud snort or a gasp as you resume breathing. Daytime symptoms include excessive daytime sleepiness, morning headaches and high blood pressure.

If you or your partner have any of these symptoms visit your GP. Between 2-4% of the UK’s adult population have Sleep Apnoea but fewer than 10% of those affected are currently receiving treatment. Sleep Apnoea can have a serious impact on your blood pressure, heart health and is linked to type II diabetes.

There is a simple cure

Rebecca Mullins, Clinical Nurse Specialist at the ResMed Centre for Healthy Sleep www.realsleep.co.uk comments:

“If you are concerned about sleep apnoea, it’s important to visit and discuss treatment options with your doctor or sleep specialist. Those who are middle aged and upwards are more likely to suffer from the condition and awareness of it is still relatively low despite it affecting a significant proportion of the population.

“The bad news is that left untreated, sleep apnoea can cause life-threatening health problems.

“Fortunately, once recognised and diagnosed, sleep apnoea is easily treated and treatment can transform your quality of life and improve related health issues. While nasal surgery is offered as a solution in a few cases, the gold standard treatment for sleep apnoea and most commonly used, is CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure). The treatment is very successful and involves wearing a mask at night, connected to a small CPAP device which delivers a stream of air whilst you sleep, holding your airway open, allowing you to sleep soundly, and wake feeling refreshed.

“Some patients who have received CPAP report that their lives have been transformed after just one, good night’s sleep.”

So there may be an end in sight to your sleepless nights – and no need to sleep in separate beds!

If you think you may have symptoms of Sleep Apnoea, visit www.realsleep.co.uk/osauk to find out more.

Mind & Body

Take action to stop sleepless nights

Does your partner's snoring keep you awake at night?

This can often be a symptom of a more serious condition so rather than simply banishing them to another bed take a closer look.

There is a simple cure

What's in Mind & Body