Sleep watch: Do you have sleep apnoea?
Can't see the film? Click here to watch.
The One Show's Michael Mosley meets Delia, who despite getting seven hours sleep a night, is constantly tired. During the day she falls asleep whilst talking to friends, travelling and even eating.
Delia has discovered that she is one of the 100,000's of people in the UK suffering from obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). It meant that Delia was stopping breathing and starting again, roughly 60 times per hour - and not sleeping for more than a minute at a time.
Click here for more information about sleep apnoea.
Do you suffer from excessive daytime sleepiness? Click here to take a test - the Epworth Sleepiness Scale.
Do you have sleep apnoea? How do you cope with it? Please leave your comments below.
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Comments
I know that this sounds completely crazy but my husband who has had sleep apnoea symptoms for as long as I have known him (over 30 years) has almost been 'cured' by pure chance
By HIM wearing ear plugs (rather than me!) he has almost stopped snoring in the way described on your programme (ie stopping breathing dozens of times per night)
Hope this helps someone else (or at least someone else's other half!)
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I would love a cure for OSA, I'll try wearing the ear plugs to see if they help....thank you for the tip Thank you lynngornall
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this souds crazy,but for a few pence to buy ear plugs ,i will purchase a set,but i would like to know if he was diagnosed by gp and did dvla get in touch
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i have been diagnosed with sleep apnea + have been issued with afull face mask ,i am not quite used to it yet, i wake often through the night ,but rise feling very bright
get down stairs at 6.05am cup off cofee
put tv on a wow im a sleep,then wake up
start feeling very tired mid morning throught the day ,,knackered
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Caution to those reading the first comment here. Sleep Apnoea symptoms are not cured by using ear plugs. I would suggest he just snored, why the ear plugs worked is a mystery.
Sleep Apnoea can only be diagnosed using the correct diagnostic tools by a qualified medical practitioner. Currently the best treatment for Sleep Apnoea is CPAP therapy.
If you believe you have Sleep Apnoea the first step would be to do the Epworth test linked to in the text of the article. Then pay a visit to your GP.
There are many online forums where help, information and a friendly ear can be found.
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I was surprised by your guinea pig stating that her CPAP machine made only 'some improvement'. Before my machine I was falling asleep at breakfast with a coffee cup in my hand and could drive for only 20 minutes before feeling very drowsy. It took me about 7 days to get used to the CPAP and then it totally transformed my life, full of energy again all day long. I declared my condition to the DVLA and told them that the CPAP had eliminated all the previous symptoms. They checked with my GP/hospital sleep clinic and allowed me to continue with my driving licence without any conditions. I would urge all sufferers to get checked out and have a CPAP machine prescribed where appropriate. Life resumes after a CPAP!
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I was diagnosed recently with OSA and started CPAP at Papworth on Saturday 27th Sept with a Full Mask. Unfortunately my OSA is worse when I sleep on my back and so I was advised to sleep on my back whilst at Papworth in order to set up my machine correctly. Being in a strange place, without my wife by my side (first time in over 10 years) meant I found it difficult to fully sleep, and so my settings were not the best, quite low pressure. I have now used the CPAP at home for 4 nights and do not feel any less sleepy, but do feel more alert - if that makes sense. DVLA have been contacted - as everybody diagnosed with OSA should do. Just have to continue with it and hopefully get used to sleeping with a mask. To everybody who thinks they might have OSA, do not be afraid of going to your GP, I've spoken to many with OSA and the vast majority say that CPAP has completely changed their life for the better. Don't worry, just do it. Thanks to the One Show and the BBC for bringing this more into the public eye. Great show. Neil.
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