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Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to the most popular questions

What is sleep apnea? "Apnea" literally means "no breath" or "stopping breathing".

Many people have sleep apnea, (also known as sleep apnea) but may not even know it. In fact, sleep apnea affects more than three in 10 men and nearly two in 10 women, so it is more common than you might think. If you think you might have sleep apnea, it is important to recognise some of the common symptoms and what you can do about it.

When you have sleep apnea, air stops flowing to your lungs for 10 seconds or longer – that is, you actually stop breathing.

Sensing you have stopped breathing, a control centre in your brain triggers you to wake up just enough to take a breath. Then you fall back to sleep and the cycle begins again. In some people this can happen over 30 times every hour even though you may not remember waking up.

As you can imagine, constantly being triggered back into breathing, hour after hour, night after night, can put a strain on your body. You may feel very tired day after day yet not realise that you’ve been waking up so many times at night as a result of having sleep apnea.

Reference:
1) Peppard PE et al. Increased Prevalence of Sleep-Disordered Breathing in Adults. Am J Epidemiol. 2013 (5.17)
2) Harrington, C. The Complete Guide to a Good night’s Sleep. Pan MacMillan Australia 2014.

The first and most common sign of sleep apnea is usually observed by your partner: snoring. In addition to snoring, they might also tell you that you make gasping or choking sounds while you're asleep.

You might notice some other symptoms too such as:
- constant tiredness
- poor concentration
- morning headaches
- depressed mood
- night sweats
- weight gain
- lack of energy
- forgetfulness
- sexual dysfunction
- frequent urination at night

Remember, these symptoms may not always relate to sleep apnea, so please discuss any concerns you may have with your doctor to ensure that an accurate diagnosis is made

References:
1) Palnitkar G, et al. Obstructive sleep apnea in adults: identifying risk factors and tailoring therapy. Medicine Today 2012, 13(8):14-23
2) Wong SH, Ng BY. Review of sleep studies of patients with chronic insomnia at a sleep disorder unit. Singapore Med J. 2015 Jun;56(6):317-23.

If you have trouble sleeping, snore or suspect that you have sleep apnea, it is important to take those signs seriously and follow these three simple steps:

1) Recognise your symptoms. Are they listed as common symptoms of sleep apnea or other respiratory conditions?

2) Take our Online Sleep Assessment to see if you are at risk.

3) Talk to your doctor about how to get a sleep apnea test, either an overnight sleep lab test (known as a polysomnography or PSG) or a home sleep test (HST).

In a sleep lab or hospital, clinical staff will place sensors on your body to monitor your sleep. With your permission, staff may also want to film your sleep study to gain more insight into your sleeping behaviour. This is to assess for unusual movements in your sleep (like sleep talking or walking) and for night-time seizures.

During this type of study, you will be required to stay overnight at the facility, so it is a good idea to take everything you need for your usual sleeping routine, including pyjamas and toiletries

A Home Sleep Test (HST) is similar to a sleep lab or hospital setup, with the added comfort and convenience of being in your own home. Before a home sleep study night, a sleep consultant will show you how to apply the sensors and monitors, and how to use the recording device during the night.

On the night you have scheduled your home sleep test, you will follow your normal evening routine, prepare for sleep, attach everything as you’ve been shown and start the recording. In the morning, you will remove everything as previously demonstrated and return the recording device to the sleep lab or hospital.

ResMed’s ApneaLink™ Air home sleep testing device includes a chest belt, nasal cannula, oximeter and recording device, which replace the sensors and tubes attached to you during a sleep study in a sleep lab while providing accurate and useful results. Simple, fast and easy to use, the ApneaLink Air reports apneas, hypopneas, flow limitation, snoring, blood oxygen saturation and breathing patterns within the recording.

It is important to take sleep apnea seriously.

But the good news is there is a treatment for it, and most people experience a whole range of benefits from being treated:

1) By treating your sleep apnea, you may help to lower the associated risks and improve your overall health

2) In many cases, treatment has been shown to reduce the symptoms of sleep apnea, such as daytime sleepiness, depressed mood, reduced memory and concentration, and reduced quality of life (especially in the areas of work performance and family relationships)

3) Untreated sleep apnea is also associated with symptoms including dizziness, shortness of breath and chest discomfort, which may be reduced when your sleep apnea is treated.

4) People with sleep apnea can become too tired to exercise, making some of their underlying conditions worse. Obese people being treated for their sleep apnea gain more energy, which may then help them exercise and lose weight. And weight loss has been shown to improve sleep apnea for some people.

Reference:
1) Babu AR et al. Type 2 diabetes, glycemic control, and continuous positive airway pressure in obstructive sleep apnea. Arch Intern Med 2005; 165: 447-452.
2) Engleman HM, Douglas NJ. Sleep. 4: Sleepiness, cognitive function, and quality of life in obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnoea syndrome. Thorax. 2004 Jul; 59(7):618-22.
3) Wolk R et al. Sleep-disordered breathing and cardiovascular disease. Circulation 2003; 108: 9-12..
4) Buchner NJ et al. Continuous positive airway pressure treatment of mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea reduces cardiovascular risk. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2007; 176(12): 1274-1280.
5) Lianne M et al. Effects of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure on Fatigue and Sleepiness in Patients with Obstructive Sleep apnea: Data from a Randomized Controlled Trial. Sleep. 2011 January 1;
6) Romero-Corral A et al. Interactions between obesity and obstructive sleep apnea: implications for treatment. Chest. 2010 Mar; 137(3):711-9.

References

(1) Ohayon MM et al. Snoring and breathing pauses during sleep: telephone interview survey of a United Kingdom population sample. BMJ. 1997;314:860–3

(2) A +A Healthcare study undertaken with 95 patients who wore Narval CC (Equinoxe in France) in 2011.

(3) Heinzer R, Vat S, Marques-Vidal P, Marti-Soler H, Andries D, Tobback N, Mooser V, Preisig M, Malhotra A, Waeber G, Vollenweider P, Tafti M, Haba-Rubio J (2015) Prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing in the general population: the
HypnoLaus study. The Lancet Respiratory medicine 3(4):310– 318. doi:10.1016/s2213-2600(15)00043-0

(4) Tan A, Hong Y, Tan LW, van Dam RM, Cheung YY, Lee CH. Validation of NoSAS score for screening of sleep-disordered breathing in a multi ethnic Asian population. Sleep and Breathing. 2017; p. 1–6. 

(5) Topıˆrceanu A, Udrescu M, Udrescu L, Ardelean C, Dan R, Reisz D, et al. (2018) SAS score: Targeting high-specificity for efficient population-wide monitoring of obstructive sleep apnea. PLoS ONE 13(9): e0202042. https://doi.org/ 10.1371/journal.pone.0202042