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People with OSA may not be aware that they have this problem as they do not usually remember the waking times at night. It is often a sleeping partner or a parent of a child with OSA that is concerned about the loud snoring and the recurring episodes of apnoea that they notice. One or more of the following also commonly occur.

• Daytime sleepiness. This is often different to just being 'tired'. People with severe OSA may fall asleep during the day with serious consequences. For example, when driving, especially on long monotonous journeys such as on a motorway. A particular concern is the increased frequency of car crashes involving drivers with OSA. Drivers with OSA have a 2-12 increase risk of having a car crash compared to average.
• Poor concentration and mental functioning during the day.
• Morning headaches.
• Depression.
• Being irritable during the day.

People with untreated OSA also have an increased risk of developing high blood pressure, heart attack, heart failure, and stroke.

Epworth Sleepiness Scale

If you have daytime tiredness, sometimes a questionnaire is used to measure the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. This helps to gauge the level of sleepiness that you feel during the daytime. A high score indicates that you may have a sleeping disorder such as OSA. See separate leaflet called Epworth Sleepiness Scale for details.

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