Person wearing a CPAP mask for sleep apnoea treatment

Interrupted breathing during sleep (sleep apnoea)

People who suffer from sleep apnoea wake up during the night without consciously realising it. The consequences are daytime tiredness, poor concentration and reduced performance. Sleep apnoea can be treated. This significantly improves the quality of life of those affected. 

What is sleep apnoea?
Diagnosis
Treatment

People who suffer from sleep apnoea wake up during the night without consciously realising it. The consequences are daytime tiredness, poor concentration and reduced performance. Sleep apnoea syndrome is a condition that leads to irregular breathing during sleep. The reason: the collapses of the upper airways are inclined and temporarily close the airways completely. This causes the oxygen in the body to drop and the body reacts with a protective mechanism. You wake up but are often not consciously aware of it. Depending on how often you wake up, the symptoms are more pronounced during the day.


It is estimated that around five per cent of the population suffer from this condition. The consequences of sleep apnoea syndrome are daytime tiredness, poor concentration, a decrease in physical and mental performance and high blood pressure. This increases the risk of accidents, cardiac arrhythmia, heart attacks and strokes.

Diagnosis

From simple pulse oximetry (measurement of nocturnal oxygen saturation, breathing and body position) to complete polysomnography with integrated sleep analysis, in which up to fifteen different parameters can be measured, all diagnostic options are available. Competent specialists (sleep laboratory, pneumology, psychology, neurology, ENT) are at your service.

Treatment

Depending on the severity of the sleep apnoea syndrome, various treatments are possible. The standard treatment is nocturnal positive pressure ventilation using CPAP therapy (Continuous Positive Airways Pressure). For milder cases, mandibular advancement splints and, in special cases, a forced lateral position are alternatives. Selected cases are treated surgically. We discuss these cases at interdisciplinary conferences consisting of several specialised doctors (pneumologist, neurologist, psychiatrist and ENT specialists).

CPAP treatment is generally very well tolerated by patients. However, regular check-ups are necessary, the first one after one to three months and the subsequent ones at annual intervals. Patient care is provided by the cantonal lung leagues, which also provide the relevant equipment.

Do you suffer from daytime sleepiness? Do you snore?

Anyone who is constantly tired during the day and stops breathing at night should have this checked out. You can obtain initial information on possible risks with a simple online test from the Swiss Lung Association.

Click here for the test

We find a specialist for you

Choose a specialty Abdominal cancer Achilles tendon rupture Acupuncture Adapted physical activity Addiction psychiatry and psychotherapy Aesthetic and corrective dermatology Aesthetic medicine Age-related far-sightedness (presbyopia) Allergology and immunology Alter G Andrology Anesthesiology Angiography Angiology Art therapy Biliary surgery Birth: Everything you need to knowh Bonding psychology Breast cancer Calcific tendonitis of the shoulder Cancer rehabilitation Canine-assisted therapy Cardiological rehabilitation Cardiology Cartilage damage Cataracts Cervical spondylotic myelopathy Check-up Child and adolescent psychiatry Chiropractic Colon surgery Coloproctology Computed tomography Corneal diseases Corneal irregularity (astigmatism) Corneal transplantation Cruciate ligament tear CyberKnife® System Da Vinci Densitometry Dentistry Dermatology and venereology Desire to have children Diabetology Disorders of the parathyroid gland Dry eye Elbow surgery Endocrinology Endometriosis Enlargement of the thyroid gland (goitre) Eye consultations Eye inflammation Eye surgery Far-sightedness (hyperopia) FEMTO-LASIK procedure Fibroids Foot/ankle surgery Frozen shoulder Gastric surgery Gastroenterology and Hepatology General medicine General surgery Geriatric psychiatry Geriatrics Glaucoma Global reconditioning Graves’ disease Gynaecological examinations Gynaecological oncology Gynaecology Hair transplant surgery Hallux valgus Hand surgery Heel pain Hematology Hepatobiliary surgery (liver surgery) Hernias Herniated disc Herniated disc in the lumbar spine Herniated disc in the thoracic spine Hip impingement Hip osteoarthritis Hip prosthesis Hip surgery Homeopathy ICL technique Infectiology Inflammation of the thyroid gland (Hashimoto’s thyroiditis) Internal medicine Internal oncological rehabilitation Interrupted breathing during sleep (sleep apnoea) Interventional cardiology Interventional radiology Intervertebral disc prosthesis | Artificial intervertebral disc IVS-3 Kidney and urinary tract diseases Knee arthroscopy Knee pain and knee surgery Knee prosthesis Laser eye treatment methods LBV procedure Long-Covid Rehabilitation Lymphology Lyra Gait Mako Mammography Maternity Medical oncology Medical training therapy (MTT) Meniscus tear Migration psychology MindMotion™ GO Morton’s neuroma MRI Multiple sclerosis Musculoskeletal rehabilitation Near-sightedness (myopia) Neonatology Nephrology Neural therapy Neurological rehabilitation Neurology Neuropaediatrics Neuropsychology Neurosurgery Nuclear medicine Nutritional counseling Obesity and overweight Obstetrics Occupational therapy Oncology Operations on the eyelids Ophthalmology Oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS) Oral surgery Orthopaedic rehabilitation Orthopaedic surgery Osteoarthritis Osteoarthritis of the ankle Osteoarthritis of the knee Osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint Osteopathy Osteoporosis – fractures in the spine Otorhinolaryngology (ENT) Overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism) Paediatric eye diseases Paediatrics Pain therapy Pancreatic surgery Papillon Parkinson Pathology Pediatric surgery Physical and rehabilitation medicine Physiotherapy Pilates Plastic surgery Pneumology Podiatry Postpartum: Everything you need to know for the first time after the birth Pregnancy PRK technique Proctology Prostate cancer Psychiatrie and Psychotherapy for adults Psychiatry and psychotherapy Psycho-oncology Psychology Psychosomatic rehabilitation Psychotherapy Pulmonary rehabilitation Radio-oncology Radioembolisation Radiology Radixact® imaging system REAplan® - robot-assisted rehabilitation of the upper limbs Rehabilitation Rehabilitation after a knee prosthesis Rehabilitation back pain Rehabilitation Hip Prosthesis Retinal and macular diseases Retinal surgery Rheumatology Robots and medical equipment ROSA® Rotator cuff rupture Scoliosis and kyphosis (curvature of the spine) Senology (breast care) Shoulder dislocation Shoulder impingement Shoulder prosthesis Shoulder surgery Sleep diagnostics Sleep disorders Slipped disc in the cervical spine – cervical disc herniation Small intestinal surgery SMILE procedure Speech therapy Spinal stenosis – narrowing of the spinal canal Spinal surgery Spinal tumours and metastases on the spinal column Sports medicine Standard radiology Strabismus (squint) Stroke Surgical oncology Swiss Stem Cells Solutions Switzerland GLA:D® programm Therapies Thoracic surgery Thyroid cancer (thyroid carcinoma) Thyroid nodules Thyroid surgery (endocrine surgery) Torn ligaments/ligament injuries Traditional Chinese medicine Travel Medicine Ultrasound Underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism) Urogynaecology Urology Vascular surgery Vasectomy (sterilisation/reversal) Vein surgery VELYS™ Visceral surgery Visual disturbances VitalStim Vitreous changes
Choose a hospital Clinica Ars Medica Clinica Sant'Anna Clinique de Genolier Clinique de Montchoisi Clinique de Valère Clinique Générale Ste-Anne Clinique Générale-Beaulieu Clinique Montbrillant Clinique Valmont Hôpital de La Providence Hôpital de Moutier Hôpital de Saint-Imier Klinik Pyramide am See Privatklinik Belair Privatklinik Bethanien Privatklinik Lindberg Privatklinik Obach Privatklinik Siloah Privatklinik Villa im Park Rosenklinik Rapperswil Schmerzklinik Basel
Choose a canton ZH BE LU AG SG BL SH BS SO FR GE TI GR VS VD NE