Reigate-based charity launches UK-wide sleep survey (From Redhill And Reigate Life)

Reigate-based charity launches UK-wide sleep survey

12:03pm Monday 14th January 2013 in Local News

A Reigate-based charity is launching a UK-wide drive to raise awareness of a sleep condition which many suffer from but few have heard of.

Sleep apnoea affects about 60% of people aged over 65, yet the term is hardly known by most people.

Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) is defined as the stopping of airflow at the nose and mouth during sleep because of an obstruction in the upper airway.

The condition blights many people's chances of a good night's sleep.

But now the Reigate-based British Snoring and Sleep Apnoea Association, a not-for-profit charitable organisation helping people to get a better night's sleep, is launching a UK-wide survey into public awareness of the condition, with the aim of testing public knowledge about signs, symptoms and health risks associated with sleep apnoea.

To make it the most comprehensive survey yet, the association is looking for adult participants from all walks of life, saying participation will be valuable whether people have the condition or think they may have it, know somebody who has it, or even know nothing at all about it.

Marianne Davey, Msc, director of the British Snoring and Sleep Apnoea Association, said around half the UK population snores, or is directly affected by a snorer.

But she said: "Sleep apnoea is an everyday condition that no-one has ever heard of.

“Quite a few of us suffer it and many of us come across it in friends and family members, yet so few of us know what it is or even what it's called.”

Ms Davey continued: "So we're now launching a UK-wide public survey into public awareness of sleep apnoea, what it is and how to deal with it, which will help us tackle the problem. “We welcome a wide range of participants, from those who know they suffer from sleep apnoea to those who've never even come across it."

The survey will run until the end of January and the results will be published during National Stop Snoring Week, which will run from April 22 to 27.

The survey can be found on the front page of the association's web site at: www.britishsnoring.co.uk