Sleep Apnea & Snoring Partner’s Guide

There are a number of warning signs that may indicate if your partner is suffering from Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Syndrome (OSAS) :

During the night:

 Snoring followed by a period of silence and then perhaps a loud snort or gasp as they resume breathing
 Waking up at night with a sore throat
 Frequent need to get up and use the toilet

During the day:

 Waking up feeling unrefreshed or with a headache & sore throat
 Feeling excessively sleepy during the day
 Decreased energy and motivation
 Difficulty in concentrating
 Irritability

Risk factors
There are certain factors that may mean they are at greater risk from OSA:

 Being male
 Being overweight
 Being a heavy snorer
 A family history or snoring and sleep apnoea
 Evening alcohol
 Smoking

The effect of (OSA) on them and you

When they sleep, if their airway becomes blocked, they may stop breathing. If it occurs for 10 seconds or more, it is considered an ‘apnoeic event’. It can happen frequently – sometimes hundreds of times a night but you finally go to sleep or leave the room to sleep elsewhere and THEY KEEP STRUGGLING TO BREATHE ALL NIGHT.

Stress on their body

If they stop breathing this places a stress on their brain and their heart as they struggle with the lack of oxygen.

Disrupted sleep

Their brain wakes them up in order to start breathing again and so their sleep (and perhaps your own) is disrupted over and over again.

Impact on their health

Stress on their brain and heart, coupled with disrupted sleep have serious effects on their health. Left untreated, they are a contributing risk factor in high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and depression.

 More than 35% of people with sleep apnoea suffer from high blood pressure, increasing their risk of heart disease.
 83% of people who continue to suffer from high blood pressure despite taking three or more drugs, also have sleep apnoea.
 Almost 70% of people who have had a stroke have sleep apnoea.
 A person with sleep apnoea is seven times more likely to have a car accident

Effect on you

It is not just people with OSA or a snoring problem whose health can be affected. Partners, whose own rest is continually disturbed, may also suffer the effects of chronic interrupted sleep