While I was delighted to hear that the patient’s home life was more peaceful — when I asked about how he was getting on with his sleep apnoea treatment, it had nothing to do with his wife’s sleep – though I’m delighted for her – and everything to do with his own health.

Wait – snoring bad for your health? Well, it depends. If you’re a snorer or sleep next to one, you are probably familiar with restless nights. Particularly loud snoring is one sign that you might have sleep apnoea. (*Note: not all snoring is sleep apnoea!*)

Sleep apnoea is when – for any number of reasons – you stop breathing or have low oxygen for short periods while you sleep. This can happen many, many times over night.

When I screen patients in clinic, they often feel upset when I bring it up: there is a little bit of stigma attached to it. It’s unfortunate, and I suspect that the stigma is because of weight stigma (which is also always unacceptable) because sleep apnoea is sometimes associated with the disease of obesity – but there are other causes. It is more common in men than woman, and more common as people age.

However, it’s more than snoring! Untreated sleep apnoea can lead to high blood pressure, increase your risk of diabetes or dementia later in life, and increased risk of cardiovascular disease and other metabolic conditions, including liver disease. (Marital harmony is another story)