What is sleep apnoea?
Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) occurs when the muscles of the throat relax too far during sleep, repeatedly narrowing or closing the airway. Each pause in breathing briefly rouses the brain — often hundreds of times a night without the sleeper knowing — causing unrefreshing sleep, loud snoring with gasping or choking, and marked daytime sleepiness. It is common and underdiagnosed, affecting men more than women, and risk rises with weight, age, a thick neck, alcohol use and a family history. Untreated OSA raises blood pressure and the risk of heart disease, and makes driving dangerous.
Diagnosis is made with a sleep study — usually a home kit measuring breathing, oxygen levels and pulse overnight — which counts the number of breathing interruptions per hour to grade severity.
Common symptoms
- Loud, persistent snoring
- Witnessed pauses in breathing, gasping or choking at night
- Excessive daytime sleepiness
- Unrefreshing sleep and morning headaches
- Poor concentration and irritability
- Waking frequently to pass urine
- High blood pressure
How long will you wait?
NHS sleep clinic waits vary widely by region: from GP referral through sleep study to starting CPAP commonly takes four to nine months, with some of the busiest services quoting longer for routine cases.
Privately, you can typically see a sleep specialist within 3–7 days, complete a home sleep study within a week or two, and start CPAP or oral appliance treatment within 2–4 weeks overall.
NHS England median referral-to-treatment wait: 12.4 weeks, with 2.5 million people waiting over 18 weeks (May 2026). Individual waits vary by trust and urgency.
Treatment options
- CPAP therapy. A bedside machine gently pressurises air through a mask to hold the airway open — the gold-standard treatment for moderate to severe OSA.
- Mandibular advancement device. A custom dental appliance that holds the lower jaw forward, effective for mild to moderate OSA and CPAP-intolerant patients.
- Weight management and lifestyle change. Weight loss, reducing evening alcohol and avoiding back-sleeping can substantially reduce or even resolve OSA.
- ENT surgery. Procedures on the nose, palate or tonsils help selected patients with clear anatomical blockage.
- Hypoglossal nerve stimulation. An implanted device that activates tongue muscles during sleep, an emerging option for severe OSA when CPAP fails.
What does private treatment cost?
As a guide, a private home sleep study costs around £300–£800, a CPAP machine and mask £500–£1,200 to buy, and a custom mandibular advancement device £1,000–£2,000.
Does health insurance cover sleep apnoea?
Most insurers cover the investigation of suspected sleep apnoea — specialist consultations and sleep studies — when symptoms arise after the policy starts. The equipment is the catch: many policies class CPAP machines as long-term appliances for a chronic condition and will not fund the device itself or its ongoing consumables, though some contribute to initial set-up. Check the appliance and chronic condition wording before assuming the whole pathway is covered.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to tell the DVLA I have sleep apnoea?
You must tell the DVLA if you have moderate or severe OSA with excessive daytime sleepiness, and you must not drive until your symptoms are controlled — typically once you are established on CPAP and no longer dangerously sleepy. Mild OSA without sleepiness generally does not need notifying. Treated drivers who use their CPAP regularly usually keep their licence without difficulty, so diagnosis is not a threat to driving; untreated sleepiness is.
Is CPAP really tolerable long term?
It takes persistence, honestly — the first few weeks feel strange for most people. But modern machines are near-silent, masks are lighter and better-fitting than older designs, and humidifiers reduce dryness. The payoff is often dramatic: partners report the snoring stops on night one, and users describe waking properly refreshed for the first time in years. If CPAP genuinely does not suit you, a mandibular advancement device is a credible alternative for milder cases.
Can sleep apnoea go away if I lose weight?
Sometimes, yes. Weight is the biggest modifiable risk factor, and meaningful weight loss can reduce severity substantially — in some cases enough to come off CPAP after a repeat sleep study confirms the improvement. That said, OSA also has anatomical causes, so slimmer people can have it too and weight loss is not guaranteed to cure it. The sensible approach is treating the OSA now while working on weight in parallel.