OSA is a common condition whereby a person stops breathing momentarily during sleep. After a breathing pause, the patient startles and normal breathing resumes. Since this happens many times over night, normal sleep is disturbed with several consequences.

Long lasting sleep disturbances are related to poor concentration, memory, mood, and physical health. In addition, poor sleep from OSA increases the strain on the lung and hearts.

You/ your child will snore and an independent observer will notice seconds where all breathing stops. They will see changes in sleep positions and then restart of normal breathing. Children often have fragmented sleep with multiple awakenings and bed wetting.

Most people with OSA feel tired in the morning despite being in bed for more than 8 hours. They may often fall asleep during routine activities throughout the day. Finally, they may have difficulty concentrating or be more irritable.

In children a good history from the parent and an examination that shows large tonsils and/or large adenoids is sufficient to make the diagnosis.

When the diagnosis is in doubt a sleep study can be arranged. This is a take-home test that monitors your child’s breathing, snoring and movements overnight.

In adults a good history and examination should be supplemented with a sleep study. This is a take-home test that monitors your breathing, snoring and movements overnight. In some patients a drug induced sleep endoscopy can be arranged to see which segment of the nose and throat is responsible for the blockage.

The muscles in and around your nose, mouth and throat help hold these passages open during the day. These muscles in your body relax during sleep. As such these air passages collapse a little during sleep. It takes more effort to suck air through narrow passages. As air is forcibly sucked through the narrower passage it makes more noise (snoring) and causes even more collapse of these regions – sometimes complete closure. When the air passage is completely closed, no air can get in and the person stops breathing.

The body reacts in alarm and wakes the brain up, which wakes the muscles around the passage up, forcing the passage to open.

In children and some adults there may be a physical obstruction of these passages, such as big tonsils in the throat or adenoids at the back of the nose. Since the air passages are already narrower, it does not take much muscle relaxation during sleep to completely close off these passages.

In adults and some children, being overweight both directly and indirectly impacts on how easy it is the close off the air passages during sleep.

In most children the air passages grow and the tonsils and adenoids shrink with age. This process is complete by the age of 7 in most children.

Healthy sleep is essential for normal functioning and should be aimed for in all patients.

The severity of the impact on daily functioning must be weighed against the likely duration of OSA.

For those that are overweight, losing weight and getting healthier is essential.

In children and adults with OSA and nasal allergies, nasal steroid sprays should be considered.

For adults and some children, a special machine worn at night during sleep (called CPAP) is very successful in reducing the impact of OSA. This machine forces air under high pressure through the nose and mouth, opening up closed airways and delivering oxygen to the body.

In children with OSA and big tonsils and/or adenoids a tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy should be considered.

Some adults may need tonsillectomy or nasal surgery to make the CPAP machine more efficient and effective.