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Obstructive sleep apnoea

A condition in which the upper airway repeatedly narrows or closes during sleep, interrupting breathing many times a night. The broken sleep it causes often leaves people heavily tired in the day.

The basics

Up to 4%

Up to 4% of middle-aged men and 2% of middle-aged women in the UK are estimated to have obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome, and it is heavily underdiagnosed. [2]

  • Symptoms include breathing that stops and starts, gasping or choking noises, frequent waking and loud snoring. The NHS says sleep apnoea needs treating because it can lead to more serious problems. [1]
  • Diagnosis happens through a sleep study, usually done at home, arranged through your GP and a specialist sleep clinic. [3]
  • Lifestyle changes can sometimes treat it. Many people need a CPAP machine, which is provided free on the NHS where needed. [1]
  • People with obstructive sleep apnoea had around a 26% higher risk of death from any cause in a pooled analysis of 12 cohort studies (34,382 people). The increase was concentrated in severe apnoea (around 60% higher), with no significant increase found for mild or moderate cases. [4]

The weight connection

NICE records a higher prevalence of obstructive sleep apnoea in people who are overweight or living with obesity, and the NHS lists obesity among the factors it has been linked to. That is an association: sleep symptoms always need their own assessment. [3][1]

Can a blood test see it?

0 of 10markers screen for sleep apnoea

  • Cardiovascular risk

    • Total cholesterol
    • LDL cholesterol
    • HDL cholesterol
    • Triglycerides

  • Liver function

    • ALT
    • AST
    • GGT

  • Diabetes risk

    • HbA1c
    • Fasting glucose

  • Thyroid function

    • TSH

No. There is no blood marker for sleep apnoea, and our panel does not screen for it. If broken sleep, loud snoring or heavy daytime tiredness sound familiar, speak to your GP: diagnosis needs a sleep study.

HeMed provides clinician-led weight management. We do not diagnose or treat obstructive sleep apnoea. This page is general health information, not medical advice. If you are worried about symptoms, speak to your GP, or use NHS 111.

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Related conditions

Sources (4)
  1. NHS, "Sleep apnoea", page last reviewed 11 May 2026. nhs.uk/conditions/sleep-apnoea. Accessed 3 September 2026.
  2. NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries, "Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome: prevalence", last revised November 2025. cks.nice.org.uk. Accessed 3 September 2026.
  3. NICE guideline NG202, "Obstructive sleep apnoea/hypopnoea syndrome and obesity hypoventilation syndrome in over 16s", published 20 August 2021. nice.org.uk/guidance/ng202. Accessed 3 September 2026.
  4. Pan L, Xie X, Liu D, Ren D, Guo Y. "Obstructive sleep apnoea and risks of all-cause mortality: preliminary evidence from prospective cohort studies." Sleep and Breathing 2016;20(1):345 to 353. doi.org/10.1007/s11325-015-1295-7. Accessed 21 September 2026.

Numbered markers in the page text link to these entries. Statistics describe populations, not any one person’s results.