Latest news with #sleepapnoea
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Obesity fuelling UK's sleep problems as apnoea cases soar by 214% in decade
Rising obesity is a key factor in the soaring cases of sleep apnoea in the UK, experts have said, as new data shows cases have tripled in the last decade. Analysis of NHS data in England and Wales between 2014 and 2024 revealed a sharp rise in diagnosed cases of the condition. The figures showed there were 114,640 cases reported across NHS trusts in 2014. But by 2024, this had risen to 360,070, marking a 214 per cent increase in diagnoses over the last decade. The data, obtained by The Odd Company through Freedom of Information requests, showed cases rose on average by 13.69 per cent year-on-year, with over 2 million cases diagnosed overall in the period. Sleep apnoea is a sleep disorder that causes repeated breathing interruptions during sleep. As well as resulting in ongoing tiredness, if left untreated, it can potentially cause various health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes and depression. Sleep apnoea can lead to complications if left untreated (Alamy) Dr David Garley, director of The Better Sleep Clinic, explained: 'It's a disorder of the upper airway where it repeatedly closes as you sleep. 'Your upper airway is held open by muscles, so as you fall asleep your airway naturally narrows in on itself. The first thing you find is the airflow gets turbulent, so that makes the soft structures vibrate, which is snoring. 'But with sleep apnoea, it actually closes and you have this period of not breathing. Your body will only tolerate this for a period of time before it actually has to wake you up and pull you back from the deep state of sleep, into a shallow state or completely awake. So you get really fragmented, poor quality sleep.' He said one of the main factors in sleep apnoea is obesity, which is also on the rise in the UK. One of the main factors in sleep apnoea is obesity, which is also on the rise in the UK (Alamy/PA) 'Anyone can get sleep apnoea, but the biggest risk factors are age and carrying extra weight - and both of these factors are increasing in the UK and that's why obstructive sleep apnoea is on the increase,' he told The Independent. 'What you're looking at is the collapsibility of the upper airway, so this happens because the muscles relax as you fall asleep. If you've got more weight around your neck, it just pushes in a bit more. 'Menopause is another risk factor. That's often to do with the redistribution of weight in the body as you go through that transition, so you tend to get a bit more around that area which pushes in.' He added that 85 per cent of people who have sleep apnoea are undiagnosed due to the difficulties in knowing whether they are displaying symptoms. Some of the rise in diagnoses could also be thanks to an increase in awareness of the condition. Symptoms of sleep apnoea According to the NHS Symptoms of sleep apnoea mainly happen while you sleep. They include: Breathing stopping and starting Making gasping, snorting or choking noises Waking up a lot Loud snoring During the day, you may also: Feel very tired Find it hard to concentrate Have mood swings Have a headache when you wake up He said: 'Hopefully some of it is because we're eating into that 85 per cent, but inevitably it's because more people will have sleep apnoea. 'Some of the increase is because of awareness, and others is because undeniably there are more old people and obesity is a bigger issue.' According to the NHS, sleep apnoea can sometimes be treated by making lifestyle changes like losing weight, giving up smoking and reducing alcohol consumption. According to the NHS, sleep apnoea can sometimes be treated by making lifestyle changes like losing weight, giving up smoking and reducing how much alcohol you drink (Alamy/PA) But many people need to use a device called a CPAP machine, which gently pumps air into a mask worn over the mouth or nose during sleep. The government is planning a wave of new measures to reduce levels of obesity, after the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities estimated that more than a quarter of the English population is now obese. Rates of obesity have doubled since the 1990s, costing the NHS an estimated £11 billion a year, which is three times the annual budget for the ambulance services. Health secretary Wes Streeting has warned that, unless the 'rising tide of cost and demand' is curbed, the NHS 'risks becoming unsustainable'. Ministers are also planning regulations for restaurants to monitor diners' calorie intake and drive it down further.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Obesity fuelling UK's sleep problems as apnoea cases soar by 214% in decade
Rising obesity is a key factor in the soaring cases of sleep apnoea in the UK, experts have said, as new data shows cases have tripled in the last decade. Analysis of NHS data in England and Wales between 2014 and 2024 revealed a sharp rise in diagnosed cases of the condition. The figures showed there were 114,640 cases reported across NHS trusts in 2014. But by 2024, this had risen to 360,070, marking a 214 per cent increase in diagnoses over the last decade. The data, obtained by The Odd Company through Freedom of Information requests, showed cases rose on average by 13.69 per cent year-on-year, with over 2 million cases diagnosed overall in the period. Sleep apnoea is a sleep disorder that causes repeated breathing interruptions during sleep. As well as resulting in ongoing tiredness, if left untreated, it can potentially cause various health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes and depression. Dr David Garley, director of The Better Sleep Clinic, explained: 'It's a disorder of the upper airway where it repeatedly closes as you sleep. 'Your upper airway is held open by muscles, so as you fall asleep your airway naturally narrows in on itself. The first thing you find is the airflow gets turbulent, so that makes the soft structures vibrate, which is snoring. 'But with sleep apnoea, it actually closes and you have this period of not breathing. Your body will only tolerate this for a period of time before it actually has to wake you up and pull you back from the deep state of sleep, into a shallow state or completely awake. So you get really fragmented, poor quality sleep.' He said one of the main factors in sleep apnoea is obesity, which is also on the rise in the UK. 'Anyone can get sleep apnoea, but the biggest risk factors are age and carrying extra weight - and both of these factors are increasing in the UK and that's why obstructive sleep apnoea is on the increase,' he told The Independent. 'What you're looking at is the collapsibility of the upper airway, so this happens because the muscles relax as you fall asleep. If you've got more weight around your neck, it just pushes in a bit more. 'Menopause is another risk factor. That's often to do with the redistribution of weight in the body as you go through that transition, so you tend to get a bit more around that area which pushes in.' He added that 85 per cent of people who have sleep apnoea are undiagnosed due to the difficulties in knowing whether they are displaying symptoms. Some of the rise in diagnoses could also be thanks to an increase in awareness of the condition. Symptoms of sleep apnoea According to the NHS He said: 'Hopefully some of it is because we're eating into that 85 per cent, but inevitably it's because more people will have sleep apnoea. 'Some of the increase is because of awareness, and others is because undeniably there are more old people and obesity is a bigger issue.' According to the NHS, sleep apnoea can sometimes be treated by making lifestyle changes like losing weight, giving up smoking and reducing alcohol consumption. But many people need to use a device called a CPAP machine, which gently pumps air into a mask worn over the mouth or nose during sleep. The government is planning a wave of new measures to reduce levels of obesity, after the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities estimated that more than a quarter of the English population is now obese. Rates of obesity have doubled since the 1990s, costing the NHS an estimated £11 billion a year, which is three times the annual budget for the ambulance services. Health secretary Wes Streeting has warned that, unless the 'rising tide of cost and demand' is curbed, the NHS 'risks becoming unsustainable'. Ministers are also planning regulations for restaurants to monitor diners' calorie intake and drive it down further.
Daily Mail
08-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Doctor warns millions of Britons have undiagnosed sleep condition that's linked to swathe of killer diseases
A GP has warned patients to check for signs of a hidden sleep problem linked to a host of conditions that could shorten your life. Dr Asif Ahmed took to social media to raise the alarm about what he labelled 'one of the most chronically undiagnosed conditions out there' sleep apnoea. This is a condition where a patient suffers interruptions to their breathing while they sleep and is estimated to blight the lives of millions of Britons. 'We need to stop missing this diagnosis' Dr Ahmed said on Instagram. 'If you've been diagnosed with chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia, or you can't lose weight or a prediabetic, this condition has to be ruled out. 'Nothing will work, nothing will get better until we treat this.' Fibromyalgia is a long-term condition that causes pain all over the body. As well as causing exhaustion, sleep apnoea is linked to an increased risk of deadly conditions like high blood pressure, stroke and type 2 diabetes as well as depression. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dr Asif Ahmed (MBBS, MRCGP, BSc) (@dra_says) One recent study even found a link between the sleep apnoea and lung cancer, though this is still being explored. Its connection to numerous health problems is part of the reason Dr Ahmed said that if sleep apnoea goes untreated it can knock 10 to 14 years off your lifespan. He said the impact of sleep apnoea on a person's health couldn't be understated and it could act as barrier to successfully treating other conditions. 'It is so significant, it really messes with your metabolism,' he said. 'If it's undiagnosed and untreated, nothing we do therapeutically is going to work.' Despite the dangers, Dr Ahmed said sleep apnoea often remains hidden particularly among single people, as it is often partners who spot it first. 'They complain of loud snoring or recognise anionic episodes (periods where a person stops breathing) while the other person is sleeping,' he said. Thankfully, he added that there are now simple test kits that can be used at home to tell if a person had the condition within days. 'I urge everyone whose got chronic fatigue or are feeling tired all the time or can't lose weight to really get checked for sleep apnoea,' he said. While sleep apnoea has multiple types the most common is called obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). This where the walls of the throat relax and narrow or close during sleep, limiting the flow of oxygen into the body. In response the brain instinctively pulls a person out of deep sleep to get more oxygen. This leads to significant sleep interruptions and as a consequence exhaustion in daily life and additionally—in the longer term—an increased risk of serious health problems. Almost 4million people in the UK are estimated to have moderate or severe OSA, although it is considered to be under-diagnosed and could affect up to 10million. Causes of sleep apnoea vary but include obesity leading to more tissue on the neck, smoking and drinking as well as having large tonsils. The most obvious symptoms of sleep apnoea are the aforementioned snoring and breathing interruptions noticed by partners. Individuals themselves may notice they wake up a lot in the night and feel exhausted during the day, suffer concentration problems at work or school, have mood swings or have a headache upon waking. The NHS encourages anyone with signs of sleep apnoea to contact their GP due to its links to serious health problems and the impact it can have on a patient's life. Diagnosis is usually done through special kits that measure breathing rate and heartbeat which can often be worn at home. Data from the kit is then analysed to see if a patient does have sleep apnoea and if so, how severe it is. Treatment can involve wearing mechanical masks that pump fresh air into the nose and mouth as a patient sleeps or surgery to open the airways more. However, some low-tech methods like taping a tennis-ball to your back to encourage you to sleep on your side—which can help with sleep apnoea—can also be tried. Regardless, medics urge patients not to self-diagnose and seek help from their GP if they have symptoms.
The Sun
06-07-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Depressed 5XL dad, 57, so fat he stopped breathing 104 times an hour shares simple secret to 8st weight loss
FOR three years, Simon Furness slept upright in a chair in his living room. At 25st, he was too fat to climb the stairs to his bed after spending £5,000 a year on takeaways. But even the fact he stopped breathing 104 times an hour wasn't the wake-up call he needed to transform his waistline - and his health. 11 11 Simon, 57, tells Sun Health: 'I got into a rut where I just gave up; I never left the house or anything. 'I didn't go to bed for three years - I was sleeping in my chair. 'Whenever I see old videos and pictures of myself, it repulses me. 'I was depressed. All the money I had was all going on food, on takeaways. 'It was at least £20 a night, £100 a week. I would get them five times a week. They were so easy. 'Because I wasn't going out anywhere, I would sit in the chair and order off my phone to get them delivered. 'I was addicted to Chinese food – I'd always have a special curry with special fried rice, plus a big portion of chips. I'd probably have a starter too." At his heaviest, Simon tipped the scales at 25st and wore 5XL t-shirts. His unhealthy habits led to serious health issues, including type 2 diabetes and severe sleep apnoea, which caused him to stop breathing 104 times an hour. Alongside his five takeaways a week, Simon's typical daily diet included half a loaf of bread with two large tins of soup, kebab meat, a 12in pizza and three share-bags of Haribo. He ate like this for years, until a much-needed reality check during a routine visit to the dentist. Simon, from Marston, Cheshire, says: 'I was sitting in the waiting room and the chair collapsed beneath me. 'I trapped my finger – that was so embarrassing. 'It made me feel terrible. I was disgusted; I just felt so low. The doctor even put me on antidepressants. 'Doctors then told me I had one of the worst cases of sleep apnoea they had ever seen. 'It all affected me. I was no good to my kids or grandkids at all.' Simon says his lifestyle finally changed when his wife Jo joined a local slimming group, Beeweighed, and encouraged him to try it too. The retired Morrison's truck loader says: 'I did Slimming World, Weight Watchers, I tried everything, but I just couldn't get on with any of them. 'With this one, for some reason, it just sunk in. 'Lynda, the owner, was so encouraging. The talks she gives are amazing and it really got through to me and opened my eyes. 'She's made me think about what I eat, before I eat it. 'It's just been a total diet change. 'I signed up in October 2024 and the rest is history.' Simon's diet: before and after Simon's old diet: Breakfast – a big bowl full of Alpen muesli with a pint of full-fat milk. Lunch – 2 tins of meatballs, half a loaf of bread and butter, 2 tins of cream of tomato soup. Snack – 3 bags of Haribo. Dinner – large kebab meat and chips, a large portion of chicken wings, burgers, 12in pizza. Simon's new diet: Breakfast – 2 apples and 1 sweet tangerine. Lunch – a wrap with salad. Snack – no snacking; or maybe an apple. Dinner – meals delivered each week from Mindful Chef. Mindful Chef offers meal kits and is similar to Hello Fresh and Gousto. It supplies subscribers with recipe kit boxes, which include ready-measured, fresh ingredients and easy-to-follow healthy recipes. They offer a range of 800 recipes, all of which are gluten free and contain no "stodgy carbs" making them the "perfect accompaniment to a healthy lifestyle", according to the website. By measuring out ingredients, the meal kits help people watching their calorie-intake, but controlling portion size. Simon has gone on to lose a whopping 8st – and 'reversed' his sleep apnoea. He puts his success down to the warm and supportive welcome he received at Beeweighed. The programme begins with private weigh-ins and one-to-one chats, followed by group discussions focused on nutrition, motivation, celebrating successes and sharing practical tips on diet and exercise. 11 11 11 'Lynda and the group are behind me and give me the inspiration to turn up every week,' Simon says. 'I look forward to getting weighed. 'I have never felt pressured to lose weight at Beeweighed like with other groups I've attended in the past. 'I would recommend it to anyone starting out their journey.' 'I feel like a new person' Now weighing 17st 1lb, he feels fantastic, and hopes to reach his target weight of 16st soon. Simon says: 'Before, I couldn't move out of my chair. 'Now I go on days out with my seven grandkids – proper things like a grandad should do. I'm loving it. 'I know everyone needs a little treat every now and again – I do myself on a Friday. 'But in the past, I just ate whatever I wanted and I paid for it. 'It's brilliant. I've given away all my old clothes to the charity shop. 'I feel like a new person.' 11
ABC News
25-06-2025
- Health
- ABC News
The ACT government's new $250 health 'tax' a hard sell to Canberrans stuck on surgery wait lists
Iftekhar Ahmed lives with obstructive sleep apnoea and has experienced the terror of waking during the night gasping for air. "You wake up from breathlessness and go totally blank. Luckily, your body will tell you to wake up. But you can also have a stroke from lack of oxygen," Mr Ahmed explained. "My wife is worried about me. She used to stay awake at night to see if I was breathing. "I can't get enough oxygen in my sleep." The Canberran is on an elective surgery waiting list with Canberra Health Services (CHS) for procedures to be done to his nose, sinuses and throat. The system classed his surgery as Category 3, meaning there was a clinical need for it to occur within 365 days. But, Mr Ahmed has waited 922 days and no surgery is scheduled. In correspondence seen by the ABC, he emailed Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith in April last year, explaining his diagnosis and including a plea: The minister's office responded to him on the same day, saying it had asked CHS to follow up with Mr Ahmed directly. But, he said that follow up never occurred. As a ratepayer in the ACT, Mr Ahmed said he was "gobsmacked" when he learned yesterday's budget included a $250 health care levy. And he was far from alone, with many members of the ABC Canberra audience sharing their frustration over the levy and stories of being stuck on blown-out surgical waiting lists. One talkback caller, Marcie, said she had been waiting for eight months to access a procedure "to rule out cancer". "I was told there was no prospect, zero prospect, of getting it done this year," she said. She said she was forced to travel to Sydney to see a specialist who was trying to get her into the New South Wales public health system. "I'm not after something for nothing. I am happy to pay for healthcare if I am actually getting healthcare," Marcie said. Another person commented: 'I've been on a waiting list for eight months. Last week I was told there was no prospect of having the procedure done this year. And we're being slugged a $250 levy for what exactly?" Conrad Farrell shared with the ABC how his "fantastic" surgery for a degenerative spinal condition brought relief, but only after an agonising wait. "Every day felt like a week, so while I was waiting, it was excruciating," Mr Farrell said. "I was heavily reliant on a walking stick. I couldn't walk from the couch to the toilet without a walking stick." Mr Farrell is urging the government to make use of the levy to ensure no one else suffers a similar painful wait for help. The territory's budget deficit is $1.1 billion for 2024-2025, with ratepayers told the new tax would help cover expected increased costs for delivering health services. Ms Stephen-Smith conceded the government's new levy and other price hikes were unpleasant. "It is a tough budget. We had to make some really challenging decisions," she said. During an interview on ABC Radio Canberra, Ms Stephen-Smith heard stories of Canberrans who, like Mr Ahmed and Marcie, were stuck on blown-out surgical waiting lists. She encouraged people with a grievance about the health system to contact her office. The minister acknowledged that for some, the new $250 health levy would heap extra pressure onto already tight household budgets, but said across the ACT, the tax was appropriate. "We have the lowest unemployment rate in the country. We have the highest average incomes in the country. Interest rates are coming down. Inflation has come down really dramatically and most people who are earning an income have received tax cuts in the last couple of years," she said. "So, we're asking people for five or six dollars a week to contribute to budget repair … to provide the services that we all use and value. "And when we talk to Canberrans about what they value and what they need, health is right at the top of that list." But Canberra Liberals Leader Leanne Castley said the new health levy would not have been needed if the government had budgeted properly. "They do have a spending problem and the way that they're getting themselves out of that this time is to hike up the taxes on Canberrans," she said. "It's a health system that is in crisis and the services aren't improving. In selling yesterday's budget, Treasurer Chris Steel suggested the Commonwealth government was partly to blame for the territory's need to introduce the $250 levy. Mr Steel complained the federal contribution to the ACT's health spend was expected to fall to 33 per cent next financial year, despite saying there had been an agreed target of 45 per cent by 2035. But Federal Health Minister Mark Butler did not share Mr Steel's view. "I'm not sure there's ever been a bigger increase in Commonwealth funding to the ACT hospital system than the one we will deliver next week," Mr Butler said.
