Research reveals the rising cases of sleep apnoea in the UK 

Can’t think straight? Struggling to stay awake? Feeling exhausted? Tiredness is something we all experience, but when does it stop being normal, and start signalling something more serious?

For some, symptoms like persistent snoring, difficulty falling asleep, or constant daytime fatigue aren’t ‘just’ signs of a busy life; they may be early warnings of an underlying health condition. Sometimes dismissed or misunderstood, these symptoms could point to sleep apnoea: a disorder that interrupts breathing during sleep and can lead to serious long-term health consequences.

What is sleep apnoea?

To understand sleep apnoea, we spoke with health specialist and medical expert Dr Deborah Lee at Dr Fox Pharmacy who told us: “When [sleep apnea sufferers] fall asleep, the muscles and tissues around the airway and back of the throat relax, meaning the airway is partially or sometimes completely blocked, making it hard or impossible to breathe. As the sufferer struggles to pass air in and out of their airway, they can be heard snuffling, snorting and snoring loudly. The Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) sufferer actually stops breathing for an agonising 20-30 seconds, before the resulting hypoxia (low blood oxygen) causes them to startle and start breathing again.“  

Sleep apnoea can present with a variety of symptoms. Many that occur during sleep and may go unnoticed by the individual, including loud snoring, gasping, snorting, choking, and episodes where breathing temporarily stops.

Dr Lee told us, “the person doesn’t really wake up – they just rouse slightly but it’s enough to interrupt the sleep pattern. And this can happen up to 30 times an hour in severe cases. They have no memory of what has happened in the morning.”

During waking hours, the symptoms are more noticeable: excessive tiredness, poor concentration, mood swings, and morning headaches. Dr Lee explained that sufferers often notice that, “they lack energy. Often there may be early morning headaches. It can be hard to concentrate and work productivity falls.” 

Regional increase in cases over the last decade

When examining the increase in cases between 2014 and 2024, the North West was found to have the highest rate of increase, with a 434% increase in sleep apnoea cases over the period. Yorkshire and the South East followed, with increases of 293% and 250% respectively.

*Figures rounded to the nearest whole number. 

When should you see a doctor for tiredness?

As explained by Dr Lee, tiredness and fatigue can be key indicators of underlying health issues, both physical and mental. According to the NHS, a wide range of conditions can cause persistent tiredness, not only sleep apnoea but also the likes of diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome, insomnia, depression, and long COVID.

The NHS advises seeing a doctor if you’ve been feeling tired for several weeks without a clear reason, if fatigue is interfering with your daily life, or if it’s accompanied by other symptoms such as low mood, unexplained weight loss, or gasping and choking during sleep.

Yet despite these warnings, a recent survey found that over a quarter (28%) of Brits chose not to visit a doctor even when they suspected their symptoms warranted medical attention. That’s why we’re calling on the public to take charge of their sleep health, and to recognise that persistent tiredness could be a sign of something more serious. If tiredness is affecting your daily life, whether due to sleep apnoea or something else, don’t ignore it; check in with your GP. Remember tiredness can kill.

Tiredness can kill. Call your GP.

Dr Lee told us, “Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a recognised risk factor for both cardiovascular disease and type-2 diabetes. Cardiovascular disease is the biggest killer of men and women in the UK. Around 175,000 people die every year in the UK from heart disease. 7.6 million are living with heart or circulatory diseases. Anything that increases the risk of heart disease will have a detrimental effect on health.” 

“If you have symptoms of tiredness or fatigue that persist for a few weeks and are not improving, see your GP. There are numerous possible causes for persisting tiredness or fatigue, and OSA is on the list.”

Conclusion & Resources

Our campaign makes one thing clear: sleep apnoea is not a niche concern but a growing public health issue that affects hundreds of thousands across the UK each year. We’re asking the public to start taking fatigue seriously and to commit to owning their sleep health. 

Think you might have sleep apnoea? Talk to your GP, note down your symptoms, and ask those around you if they’ve noticed signs like snoring or disrupted breathing. Taking action now could mean better sleep and better health sooner.

Learn more about sleep apnoea from the following resources: 

• NHS
• The Sleep Apnoea Trust
• NHS inform
• NIH
• hope2sleep

Methodology

NHS data was collected via a freedom of information request on the 12th of June 2025 and covered the last decade (2014-2024). Data for ‘primary’ and ‘all’ diagnoses were provided. For this campaign, we analysed ‘all’ data to understand a broader picture of sleep apnoea. Data was broken down per ICB/CCG into regions, then analysed across regions. 2030 data was obtained using a trend formula, and figures were rounded to the nearest whole number. For trend predictions, 2020 was removed due to skewing the data, in light of the 2020 pandemic. 

This analysis focuses on NHS England data. While the NHS operates under a shared UK brand, Scotland and Northern Ireland manage their health services separately. Accessing their data would have required separate FOI requests to local bodies, so it was not included. 

Methodology 

To investigate the effects of cheese on sleep and dreaming, we conducted a controlled sleep experiment involving 30 participants over four nights. Participants consumed a different type of cheese each night, with the four selected to represent a broad range of styles and maturities:

• Brie – a soft cow’s milk cheese
• Mature Blue Stilton – a semi-soft cow’s milk cheese veined with blue mould
• Mozzarella – a fresh, non-aged cheese
• Cheddar – a hard cheese and the UK’s most popular variety

To reduce interference, participants were asked to avoid substances known to affect sleep, including alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine.

Each participant provided information about their typical sleep patterns, including:

• Average hours of sleep per night
• Usual sleep quality (rated out of 10)
• Usual wake count per night
• Typical frequency of dreams and nightmares

This data was used as a baseline to measure changes against cheese-related sleep. Participants were asked to conduct the experiment on a night where the sleep conditions were most controlled, such as on a week night, in their own home.  

Data collection & analysis

• Hours of Sleep: The average number of hours slept per cheese night was recorded. This was compared to each participant’s reported baseline to calculate the mean difference in sleep duration.
• Sleep Quality: Participants rated their sleep quality each night on a scale of 1–10 (with 10 being the best possible sleep). The mean sleep quality score for cheese nights was compared to their usual rating, and the percentage change was calculated.
• Wake Count: The number of times participants woke up during the night was recorded and compared against their normal sleep pattern. The mean increase or decrease in wake-ups was calculated across cheeses.
• Dream and Nightmare Frequency:
  • Participants reported whether or not they had any dreams and any nightmares each night (binary yes/no).
  • Baseline dream frequency (e.g., 2 nights out of 5) was compared with dream occurrence during each cheese night.
  • Changes were analysed as a percentage difference from the norm.
  • The same approach was used to measure changes in nightmare frequency.

All reported figures represent mean averages across participants. The experiment took place in May 2025.  Search analysis conducted in May 2025 from Glimpse.