Sleep apnoea: Do you sleep alone? A new app could assess your risk of the condition

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Left untreated, sleep apnoea can increase the risk of depression, heart disease and stroke. Find out more about the health condition here and how to treat it.

Known as obstructive sleep apnoea, the NHS lists symptoms that occur during the night.

These include loud snoring, making gasping, snorting or choking noises, and breathing that stops and starts.

It’s fair enough if your partner can alert you to these troublesome signs, but many people are single too.

This is where SleepCheck – available on the iOS App Store for £4.99 – can help.

The clinically proven health screening app determines the user’s risk of the condition.

An analysis report details whether you’re at a low to very high risk of sleep apnoea.

Should the alert level flag high, you’ll be pointed in the right direction for treatment.

During the daytime, a person suffering from sleep apnoea may feel very tired, continued the NHS.

This may make it difficult for somebody to concentrate throughout the day.

A person with sleep apnoea may be prone to mood swings, and they may have a headache when waking up from their slumber.

The Sleep Apnoea Trust explained the sleep disorder is caused by “excessive narrowing of the throat”.

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This can occur if you’re overweight or obese, HAVE enlarged tonsils or a set-back lower jaw.

Such circumstances make it easier for the airways to become blocked, leading to disruption.

The Sleep Apnoea Trust puts forward ways to treat obstructive sleep apnoea.

This involves losing weight, not drinking alcohol after 6pm, and sleeping on the side.

Other tips include keeping the nose as clear as possible, and wearing dental dentures at night.

People may be eligible for a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine.

The collapsing throat can be held open buy slightly pressurised air, which requires the use to wear a mask hooked to the machine during the night.

The British Lung Foundation (BLF) state that people are likely to benefit a lot from treatment.

For instance, people will have more energy and feel less sleepy throughout the day.

People undergoing treatment will be able to enjoy life more, for example, by staying awake during a film they want to watch.

If your driving was affected by excessive sleepiness, you’re more likely to satisfy the DVLA you have your sleepiness under control now having treatment.

This would mean you would be able to get back behind the wheel and drive your life forward.

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