Occasional brief obstructive events are harmless and are quite common in a normai adult. Each brief avvakening required to re-open the airway passage destroys the normai sleep pattern and sleep is severely disrupted. This prevents the sleeper from enjoying sufficient deep sleep to feel refreshed and energetic the next day.

Sleep Apnoea has been linked to many other serious conditions and if leftuntreated,can beacontributingfactorin heartdisease, high blood pressure, stroke and diabetes. There are many clini-cal papērs supporting the significant correlation between OSA and Type II diabetes¹¹²⁾. It has been found that effective CPAP treatment for OSA in patients that also have type II diabetes has significantly improved the patient's glycemic control³¹. Untreated OSA may also contribute to driving and work-related accidents. It is very important to seek medical advice and treat­ment if you thinkyou are experiencing some of the symptoms.

   1) Punjabi NM, et al.. Sleep-disordered breathing, glucose intolerance, and insulin resistance: the Sleep Heart Study. Am J Ēpidemiol 2004;160:521-530

    2) Reichmuth KetaL Associationof sleep apnea and type II diabetes: a population basedstudy.AmJ Respir Crit Care Med 2005;172(12):1590-5

    3) Baby AR, Herdegen J, Fogelfeld L, Shott S et al.. Type 2 diabetes, glycemic control and continuous positive airway pressure in obstructive sleep apnea. Archives of Internai Medicine 2005;165:447-452.