Better Health Channel
betterhealth.vic.gov.au Department of Health
betterhealth.vic.gov.au Department of Health
  • The throat may collapse so much that not enough, or no air can get into the lungs – this is known as obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA).
  • This causes you to stop breathing until your brain notices and sends you a wake-up call. The brain briefly arouses itself from sleep to get the throat muscles working again to allow air into the lungs.
  • This process can repeat hundreds of times each night, causing you to have very broken sleep.
  • Around 1 in 4 men over the age of 30 years have some degree of sleep apnoea.
  • Sleep apnoea is highly treatable and includes certain lifestyle changes (such as losing weight loss and cutting back on alcohol) and using a CPAP device while sleeping to blow air into the throat to stop it collapsing. Other treatment options include dental devices and surgery.
  • Sleep apnoea can cause fatigue, and concentration difficulties which may affect different aspects of your life and lead to increased risks to your health.

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Reviewed on: 27-10-2021