by those who hook up to a sleep machine is
sleep apnoea – a potentially dangerous
form of snoring where the throat closes
in and the airways collapse, causing the
sufferer to temporarily stop breathing in
their sleep.
Angela explains that those sleeping
near a person with sleep apnoea will often
hear the sufferer splutter as they try to
catch a breath. It can cause disturbed
sleep, as the person is constantly jolted
awake. “We see people waking ve or 10
times every hour, being jolted out of
sleep in a sleep study. That can be hugely
disruptive to sleep.”
She adds that a snorer who puts
on weight can develop sleep apnoea.
“Someone who loses ve or 10 kilograms
can solve their sleep apnoea. We know
that’s a really good way to treat it.”
However, you don’t have to have sleep
apnoea or be overweight to snore. It can
also happen when a person has small,
narrow airways, a poorly de ned jaw, or
because of their genes. Women commonly
start snoring once they hit menopause,
says Angela, which is thought to be
triggered by hormonal changes – and
elderly men and women are equally likely
tosnore. “Wesuspect that manywomen
don’t telltheir doctorsthey snore. They
maysaythat theyhave trouble sleeping,
whereasa manismorelikely tosaythat
their partner is complaining they’re
snoringatnight.”
“Snoringstillhasa stigma forwomen.
There’sa perceptionthatit’sbigguyswhosnore and I think that’s the case for GPs
too, who won’t be asking a woman who says
she has poor sleep [if she snores]. Because
there’s a perception that lean females
might not snore or have sleep apnoea,
you’ve got to tell your doctor so you don’t
end up being prescribed the wrong thing.”
Those who snore can also use a
mouthguard tted by a dentist, which is
designed to open the airway and keep it
open during sleep. Angela says the best
mouthguards are ones that pull the lower
jaw or the tongue forward, and have the
best evidence behind them; they’re
suitable for patients who snore, have mild
sleep apnoea and aren’t too overweight.
About 80% of patients at the sleep
centre have such bad sleep apnoea that
they need a continuous positive airway
pressure (CPAP) machine, which involves
wearing a pressurised mask over the nose
while sleeping.
Vicky Smith has nicknamed her CPAP
machine “Hurricane Helen”. The retired
teacher is sleeping better and has an
improved quality of life since she started
sleeping with the machine three years ago.
“I’m too scared to nd out what it would
be like not to have it,” she says.
Greymouth-basedVickystartedsnoring
in middle age, likesome of her family.
“Iwasn’tawarethatit wasa problembut
I wasso,sotiredwhenI wasteaching.”
When she travelled with her late
husband,sheavoidedsleepingonplanes
on international trips. “He would jolt
meawakeandtellmeI wassnoring.”Vicky had no idea that her snoring had
turned into sleep apnoea until she went
into Bowen Hospital for knee surgery.
“When I woke up on the morning after
the surgery, the doctors said they were
concerned about my low oxgyen levels
overnight, and this was going to be passed
on down the line. It was an issue and I
needed to deal with it. I had no idea about
sleep apnoea, and that’s very common for
those who have it.”GETTING A SOUND SLEEP
Women can fail to fall asleep for a variety
of other reasons, says Angela. The number-
one drama for women and sleeping is
insomnia: struggling to sleep, waking early
or being unable to return to sleep.
Angela says female sleep patterns
change for many reasons, which are often
hormonal or circumstantial. It can be
harder to sleep at certain times of the
menstrual cycle, and women typically
have disrupted sleep with young babies.
“Sometimes it’s ingrained. You’ve gone
through this period of having children
and waking up. Worry and stress are
really important with insomnia. You need
to nd techniques to wind down and
that is the best long-term solution.”
Restless legs syndrome, a condition
that causes an uncontrollable urge to
move your legs, is more prevalent
in menopausal, post-menopausal and
pregnant women. That can be caused by
low iron or magnesium, along with
hormonal changes. “It can also become
more common with age.”
Evidence shows that to reduce your
risk of long-term morbidity – and prevent
you developing conditions such as
cardiovascular problems or dementia –
the average person needs a minimum of
seven hours sleep a night. “There are
people who need nine or 10 hours of sleep,
and there are others who can do well on
really short sleep, and we think that’s
genetic,” says Angela. “One way to know if
you’re getting enough sleep is if you sleep
in during the weekend. That suggests
you’re not getting enough sleep during
t heweek.”
Angelasaysourpreferredsleepcycleis
drivenbyourbodyclock.It’sa well-known
factthat peopleareeitherlarksorowls,
and often there’s nothing they can do
about it. “Unfortunately,” she says, “our
societyvaluesourlarks.” *‘Many wen d’t te eir doctors ey snore’
‘YOU NEED
TO FIND
TECHNIQUES
TO WIND
DOWN AND
THAT IS THE BEST
LONG-TERM
SOLUTION’
HEALTH
PhotographsGetty Images124 NEXT / SEPTEMBER 2019