Sleep Apnoea

You can purchase a ‘sleep strip’ to detect each breath-hold as it occurs and record the results so you can see how often you stop breathing during the night.

Alternatively, download our free sleep diary and track your sleep pattern for a fortnight. Then visit your doctor with the results for further referals.

Read our top tips on how to stop or reduce snoring naturally.

Sleep apnoea is a breathing disorder – a common complication of snoring.  It happens when the snorer stops breathing for short periods of time while asleep. It is caused by narrowing or a blockage of the airway when the throat muscles are relaxed.  In severe cases this can occur every 1-2 minutes.   This narrowing may be caused by:

• Obesity (greater fat stores around the neck)
• Obstruction (large tonsils)
• Dehydration
• Loss of muscle tone (part of the natural aging process)
• Excessive alcohol consumption (which relaxes muscles)
• Smoking (may narrow your airways).

This short pause in natural breathing may happen hundreds of times during the night and the snorer may not even be conscious of it happening.  However, it can severely affect the quality of his/her sleep and definitely that of a bed mate. 

If you experience any of the above symptoms, first experiment with our top tips to stop snoring naturally to see if you can reduce or alleviate the problem as not all snoring indicates sleep apnoea.  With mild cases of sleep apnoea you can help yourself by

• losing weight,
• reducing alcohol intake,
• reducing sinus issues
• stopping sleeping pills,
• stopping smoking