Oxygen therapy 'the gold standard treatment for sleep apnoea'
Undergoing oxygen therapy is a good way for those with sleep apnoea to combat the problems associated with the condition, it has been suggested.
Beccy Mullins, clinical nurse specialist at the Centre for Healthy Sleep, says: "Once diagnosed, you may be provided with CPAP [continuous positive airway pressure] therapy, recommended by NICE as the gold standard treatment for sleep apnoea."
The procedure involves pressurised oxygen being delivered through a mask, which needs to be worn every night in order to keep the airways open, she adds.
Ms Mullins' comments come in response to the results of a new study undertaken by Columbia sleep researchers, who found that oxygen therapy can be an effective way to reduce the risk of heart disease in overweight people suffering from sleep apnoea.
According to sleep experts MetroNaps, just 19 per cent of people in the UK currently get the recommended eight hours sleep per night, with 16 per cent of the population sleeping for less than six hours per night.
Posted by James Worrall
19/04/2010 12:15:44
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