Sleep apnea ‘strangles’ millions each night. Here’s what you can do about it

And sleep apnea, where a person stops breathing up to 30 or 40 times per hour, seriously impairs this process.

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“You don’t get the nice waves of sleep that we think are important, and you obviously stop breathing, so your oxygen goes down. That puts a lot of strain on lots of organs in the body, particularly your brain and your heart,” explains Professor Robert Adams, a spokesperson for the Sleep Health Foundation who was involved with the studies. “Your body reacts to what is essentially being strangled for brief periods of time by bumping up your sympathetic drive. You get this hyped-up body response which we think, over time, leads to problems related to cardiac function and blood vessels and your metabolism and probably your brain as well.”

Add insomnia into the mix (it can be hard to sleep when we can’t breathe properly) and the outcomes are amplified. “You’re more likely to die younger and faster,” Lechat says matter-of-factly.

So, what can we do about it?

Quite a lot, thankfully.

Adams explains that 30 years ago, only about 5 per cent of the population had sleep apnea. As people have become collectively heavier and carrying more weight around our necks, this adds pressure to the airways, increasing the likelihood of a sleep disorder like sleep apnea.

For this reason, losing weight “can be very effective”, Adams says, as can exercise: “Part of it is strengthening your muscles and part of it is losing weight.”

There are also “snippets of evidence” that training the upper airway muscles, via musical instruments and various vocalisation and Oropharyngeal exercises, is effective.

Mouth breathing can make sleep apnea worse, Lechat says, as can sleep position (gravity is working against us when we lie on our backs).

Good sleep hygiene – not drinking alcohol before bed; having a consistent bed routine where we go to bed and wake up around the same time; relaxation techniques and waiting until we’re very sleepy to go to bed – can also make a difference to both disorders.

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Of the medical treatments available, a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine reduces sleep apnea by 50-70 per cent and there are a “whole bunch of other treatments”, Lechat says.

Sadly, many people go their whole lives without being diagnosed at all, as their sleep apnea may not wake them up and they attribute day-time tiredness to being a poor sleeper. Others are “frightened” of the treatments or of losing their driver’s license, Adams says, noting this is only a concern if it’s left untreated.

“There are effective treatments,” he assures. The researchers suggest seeing your GP if you have any symptoms including excessive tiredness during the day, snoring, struggle sleeping or waking up choking or gasping.

“Your entire body depends upon the restorative functions of sleep. Every cell really needs sleep to rejuvenate or recuperate every day and if that doesn’t happen, over time, you start to get problems,” Adams says.

“And there’s increasing evidence that [poor sleep] may contribute to cognitive impairment as you get older. It’s a big deal.”

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