What is Obstructive Apnoea

Obstructive Sleep Apnoea is a disorder in which breathing is repeatedly interrupted during sleep. “Apnoea” literally means “without breath” or stopping breathing. This obstruction in your upper airway, during sleep results in a blockage of the air flowing to your lungs for ten seconds or longer. Central sleep apnoea is a different type of apnoea caused by a disruption to the breathing centre in the brain.

Snoring occurs when the soft tissue in the back of your throat relaxes too much and starts to vibrate. The sound from this vibration can become loud and disruptive to bed partners. Chronic loud snoring can be an indication of more serious sleep disordered breathing such as Sleep Apnoea. If you snore loudly with occasional pauses in breathing, and frequently wake up during the night, you may have Obstructive Sleep Apnoea.

Insomnia is a sleep disorder that is characterised by difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. People with insomnia may have trouble getting to sleep initially, or they can fall asleep but cannot maintain sleep for as long as they would like. Insomnia is experienced at some time in most people’s lives, however long term or chronic insomnia can be harmful to physical and emotional health.

Restless legs syndrome or Periodic Leg Movement Disorder, is a neurological condition affecting as many as 2% to 5% of the population. It is described as discomfort in your legs and on rare occasions in your arms. Symptoms can occur at any age although are more severe in older people. Patients describe the symptoms as a cramping, tingling, creping crawling feeling, which can be prickly and painful.