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Sleep apnoea is a common but often underrecognised condition. If your airway repeatedly narrows or closes during sleep, it can disrupt breathing, disturb rest, and lead to a host of daytime symptoms. Detecting sleep apnoea early is key, and recognising the warning signs is the first step.
Night Time and Sleep Related Warning Signs
You may have sleep apnoea if you experience:
- Loud snoring, snorting, choking, or gasping during sleep. These noises often come in bursts or clusters, especially when breathing temporarily stops
- Pauses in breathing — your breathing may stop briefly then restart, sometimes dozens or even hundreds of times a night. These episodes often go unnoticed by the person, but may be heard or witnessed by a partner or family member
- Frequent awakenings, restless sleep, or gasping for air — you may wake up feeling like you cannot breathe properly, or wake up suddenly gasping or choking
- Dry mouth, sore throat, or waking with a headache — airway obstruction and mouth breathing during sleep can cause these symptoms
Because the breathing interruptions often occur while you are deeply asleep, many people are unaware they have sleep apnoea. That is why input from a sleeping partner or overnight monitoring is often key to recognising the pattern.
Daytime Signs That May Indicate Sleep Apnoea
Sleep apnoea does not just affect your nights, it commonly shows through daytime symptoms, such as:
- Persistent daytime tiredness or excessive sleepiness, even after a full night’s sleep
- Difficulty concentrating, memory problems, mood changes or irritability — poor sleep quality impacts mental clarity, emotional balance, and daily performance
- Morning headaches or a sensation of unrefreshed sleep — repeated oxygen dips and fragmented sleep tend to manifest as headaches, grogginess or heavyheadedness on waking
- Poor work or driving performance — sleepiness during the day can impair reaction time and alertness, increasing the risk of accidents or errors
If you experience a combination of night time breathing disturbances and daytime symptoms like excessive sleepiness or impaired concentration, this raises suspicion for sleep apnoea.
Who Is at Higher Risk: Factors That Increase the Likelihood
Some factors make sleep apnoea more likely to obtain. These include:
- Being overweight or having a large neck circumference, excess tissue around the airway can increase risk
- Anatomical features such as a narrow airway, enlarged tonsils or adenoids, nasal obstruction, or eccentric jaw or airway anatomy
- Use of alcohol, sedatives or sedating medications before sleep — these relax throat muscles and increase airway collapse risk
- Age and gender, sleep apnoea is more common in older adults and in males, though women may also be affected, especially after menopause or with additional risk factors
- Family history or heredity, a predisposition for narrow airways, soft tissue anatomy or structural airway characteristics can be inherited
However, even people without classic risk factors can still develop sleep apnoea, so symptoms matter more than risk profile alone.
How Sleep Apnoea Is Tested
If signs and symptoms above raise concern, diagnosis requires objective testing during sleep.
- Home Sleep Apnoea Testing (HSAT), for many patients with suspected obstructive sleep apnoea, a simplified home test may suffice. These tests record breathing, oxygen levels, and airflow during your usual sleep environment and can provide a reliable indication of OSA in appropriate cases
We can arrange for an HSAT for obstructive sleep apnoea, providing convenient, at home testing so patients can be assessed in their normal sleeping environment. Our streamlined process aims to make diagnosis accessible and straightforward.
When You Should Consider Getting Tested
If you identify with two or more of the following, booking a sleep apnoea test is a wise decision:
- Loud, frequent snoring, snorting, choking or gasping during sleep
- Emerging pauses in breathing or witnessed apnoeas
- Daytime sleepiness, fatigue, morning headaches or dry mouth
- Difficulty concentrating or mood changes despite enough sleep
- Known risk factors such as elevated weight, neck size, nasal congestion or family history
Because many people with sleep apnoea are unaware of the condition, often mistaken for simple tiredness or bad sleep, proactive testing may uncover underlying OSA before complications emerge.
How Optima Sleep Can Help
At Optima Sleep we specialise in managing OSA with custom Airway Sleep Devices that keep the airway open while you sleep. Our services include:
- Home based sleep apnoea tests to assess airway function during sleep
- Professional evaluation of test results and expert interpretation
- Custom made airway sleep devices for suitable patients
- Long term follow up, appliance adjustments and collaborative care with medical professionals
If you suspect you may have sleep apnoea based on the symptoms above, we invite you to explore our testing service available at Optima Sleep, a practical first step toward better sleep and improved overall health.
Sleep apnoea often flies under the radar because the breathing interruptions occur during sleep when you are unaware. However, loud snoring, gasping or choking at night combined with daytime tiredness, headaches or poor concentration are key warning signs. Objective sleep testing, either in a clinic or at home, is essential to confirm diagnosis.
At Optima Sleep, we offer accessible home sleep testing and tailored airway centred care for those at risk. If you suspect you have sleep apnoea, reach out today for a comprehensive assessment and a clear pathway toward restful, healthy sleep.