Obstructive Sleep Apnoea
Sleep apnoea is a common but often under-recognised condition that disrupts breathing during sleep. It can cause loud snoring, broken sleep, and daytime fatigue.
What Is Obstructive Sleep Apnoea and Why Does It Matter?
Sleep apnoea is a sleep-related breathing disorder in which a person repeatedly stops or significantly reduces airflow during sleep due to either upper airway collapse (obstructive sleep apnoea) or impaired respiratory drive from the brain (central sleep apnoea), leading to intermittent drop in oxygen levels, sleep fragmentation, and physiological stress; it is typically diagnosed when these events occur at least five times per hour of sleep (measured as the apnoea–hypopnoea index, AHI) in the presence of symptoms such as excessive daytime sleepiness, unrefreshing sleep, or witnessed apnoeas, and is associated with increased risks of cardiovascular disease, metabolic dysfunction, and impaired cognitive performance.
What causes Obstructive sleep apnoea?
Sleep apnoea is most often caused by the airway becoming narrowed or blocked during sleep. This can happen when the throat muscles relax too much, reducing airflow and limiting the amount of oxygen reaching the lungs. In response, the brain briefly wakes the body to restore normal breathing—often without you even noticing.
What Are the Obstructive sleep apnoea symptoms?
A narrow airway
A thicker neck, smaller jaw, enlarged tonsils, or nasal blockage can all reduce airflow during sleep.
Lifestyle triggers
Alcohol, smoking, and some sedatives can relax throat muscles and make snoring and breathing pauses worse.
Being overweight or obese
Overweight can increase pressure around the throat, making the airway more likely to narrow or collapse at night.
Risk Factors for Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA)
Sleep apnoea can happen many times an hour throughout the night (sometimes 5–30 times or more). Over time, it can disrupt sleep and cause loud snoring, waking up gasping, and feeling very tired during the day.
How Is Sleep Apnoea Diagnosed?
Accurate diagnosis is the first step. At LIPS Healthcare, our consultant-led team provides specialist assessments to confirm sleep apnoea and create a personalised treatment plan.
Sleep apnoea is usually diagnosed with a sleep study, which measures breathing patterns overnight and helps identify the type and severity of sleep apnoea.
What Is a Sleep Study for Sleep Apnoea?
A sleep study records key information while you sleep, such as:
Breathing interruptions
Oxygen levels
Sleep-related breathing patterns
Home Sleep Test Device
For suitable patients, we use AcuPebble® SA100 — a small, CE-marked home sleep test device
— to help assess suspected obstructive sleep apnoea from the comfort of your own home.
How it’s used:
You peel off the adhesive and place the small sensor at the base of your neck before bed.
You sleep as normal at home.
The device records breathing-related signals overnight, and a report is generated for your consultant to review.
Why patients like this device:
At-home test in your usual sleeping environment.
Non-invasive and designed to be easy to wear.
Helps your consultant understand whether sleep apnoea is likely and discuss the right next steps.