Is it just snoring, or is it sleep apnoea?
Snoring is a vibration noise. Sleep apnoea is when the airway actually closes repeatedly during sleep, dropping oxygen, jolting you partway awake, and stressing your heart. They can look similar from the outside, but the consequences are very different.
Tell-tale signs of sleep apnoea: witnessed pauses in breathing, gasping or choking at night, unrefreshing sleep, falling asleep at meetings or while driving, morning headaches, dry mouth on waking, blood pressure that resists medication.
How the assessment works
- Step one is a clinic consultation: history, focused upper airway exam, and a sleep questionnaire (Epworth, STOP-BANG). I'll look at your nose, palate, tonsils, tongue base and jaw structure.
- Step two — if sleep apnoea is suspected — is a sleep study. A home sleep study is usually enough; for complex cases, a full overnight study in a sleep lab.
- Step three is sleep endoscopy in selected cases: a 10-minute outpatient procedure under light sedation where we watch exactly which part of your airway is collapsing while you sleep. This converts treatment from guesswork to targeted.
Treatment options
- Lifestyle: weight loss is the single most effective intervention for many people with mild–moderate OSA. Avoiding alcohol within 3 hours of sleep also helps.
- Positional therapy for back-sleepers whose apnoea is mostly when supine.
- CPAP — the gold standard for moderate–severe OSA. The newer machines are quiet and the masks have come a long way. With good fitting and follow-up, adherence is far better than people fear.
- Surgical options vary by where the obstruction is: nasal surgery, palate procedures, tongue base reduction. Sleep endoscopy guides which (if any) will work for you. Not every case needs surgery.
Frequently asked questions
My partner says I stop breathing at night. Is that serious?
Yes — witnessed apnoeas are one of the most specific signs of obstructive sleep apnoea, and untreated OSA significantly raises long-term risk of high blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease. A formal sleep study is the right next step. The good news: it's very treatable.
Do I have to use CPAP forever?
Not necessarily. CPAP is reversible — it works while you wear it, and stops working when you don't. For people who can't tolerate it, sleep-endoscopy-guided surgical options can address the underlying anatomy. For many with mild apnoea, weight loss alone can take them out of the diagnostic range.
Is snoring surgery painful?
Modern palate surgery is closer to the recovery of a tonsillectomy — sore throat for about a week, but typically not severe. Surgery is only offered when the cause and target are clear, not as a generic 'try this and hope.'
Why does my partner snore worse some nights?
Alcohol, sleeping on the back, allergies, weight gain, and even bad pillows all worsen snoring. Tracking the pattern for a fortnight before the consult is genuinely useful.
Can I just take something to stop snoring?
There's no medication that reliably stops snoring. Strips, sprays, and gadgets have very limited evidence. Identifying the actual cause — nose, palate, tongue, weight — and addressing it specifically is the only durable approach.