Sleep Apnoea

People with sleep apnoea experience breathing difficulties when they are asleep. There are three types of sleep apnoea:

Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA)

This type of sleep apnoea occurs due to a blockage in the person’s airway. When people fall asleep their muscles relax. In some people this can cause the soft tissues at the back of the throat to collapse, blocking the airway and making breathing difficult. In adults, OSA is particularly prevalent in people who are obese (there have actually been studies linking degrees of OSA to collar size!). In children, obesity is less of a factor, with ENT problems (tonsils and adenoids) and craniofacial syndromes (e.g. Apert syndrome) being the primary types with which OSA is associated.

Central Sleep Apnoea

This is when a person’s brain stops signalling to the muscles that are needed in order to breathe. Occasional short central apnoeas, without associated oxygen desaturation, can be seen normally in very young children.

Mixed Sleep Apnoea

This is when a combination of lack of signals from the brain and collapsed soft tissue stop the breathing process while a person is sleeping.

When the person has either stopped breathing or is having trouble breathing, the brain then alerts the person and he or she is likely to wake up at this point so that normal breathing is regained. However, if this is happening many times throughout the night, a person may not be getting enough good quality sleep and may not be receiving enough oxygen. In adults, this usually leads to feelings of tiredness during the day but in children it may result in hyperactivity in younger children. This can impact on school performance, behaviour and growth. A lack of oxygen overnight for prolonged periods can lead to the heart having to work harder to pump more blood to the lungs to compensate.

What are the signs?

A person with obstructive sleep apnoea may snore quite loudly for a while because of the blocked airway, when they start breathing properly they are likely to snort and/or move around and then might start snoring again. However, not all people with sleep apnoea will do this.

Other signs:

Breathing through the mouth
Attention problems
Challenging behaviour
Restlessness
Snoring (when the person does not have an infection)

Treatment

If you think you may have sleep apnoea, you should talk to your doctor. It may also be a good idea to tape record the noises you make in your sleep.

Sleep apnoea is easily treated. With children and young people it is often caused by blockages due to enlarged tonsils and adenoids, which can be removed. Though there are many other treatments such as Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP).

For more help and information

Talk to your GP who will be able to offer help and advice or visit:

Last reviewed by Great Ormond Street Hospital: 1 June 2006