Sleep apnoea
Do you snore? Are you always tired?
Not every snorer has obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) but almost everyone with OSA is a snorer. If you snore and suffer from excessive daytime tiredness there's a good chance that you suffer from OSA.
If you also suffer from blood pressure, diabetes or are overweight then the risk is increased.
OSA occurs during sleep when normal muscle tone is lost and some part of the airway between the mouth and the lung collapses causing an obstruction. Normal breathing is restricted or stops causing blood oxygen levels to drop. The brain is deprived of oxygen and acts to partially arouse the person from sleep so that breathing can recommence. These events usually last between 10 seconds and a minute and can occur hundreds of times per night.
Sleep apnoea can have a major impact on health and quality of life. People with OSA are four times more likely to have a car accident and can be prone to memory problems, daytime fatigue, depression and heart disease.
Often people with OSA have no recollection of their frequent apnoea episodes and it is their partner who is most disrupted and worried by the loud snoring, snorting and gasping that occurs each night.
Sleep apnoea home test
If you believe you or your partner is at risk of OSA Beaufort St 24 Hour Chemist offers a simple at home screening test that measures changes in nasal airflow and pulse oximetry during sleep to indicate risk of sleep apnoea
Contact us to book a test.
Continuous positive airways pressure
CPAP is the gold standard treatment for Sleep apnoea. It consists of a pump that blows air through a mask to keep the airways open during sleep. Treatment is rapidly effective in controlling the symptoms and the long term consequences of sleep apnoea. Modern CPAP devices are quiet and masks are now available that are soft, light and comfortable.
Try before you buy
If you have been diagnosed with OSA and CPAP has been recommended as therapy we can help get you started. We offer a CPAP equipment trial prior to purchase in order to optimise therapy and assist in choosing the most suitable equipment.
Contact Beaufort St 24 Hour Chemist to request more information.
We stock the Resmed range of CPAP devices, masks, parts and accessories.
All night pharmacy
Yes, there's always a pharmacist on duty. We offer a full prescription service and a large range of chemists products 24 hours a day.
Take our sleep test
How likely are you to doze off or fall asleep in certain situations, in contrast to just feeling tired? Rate your sleepiness - take our sleep test.
Medicines review
Beaufort Street 24 Hour Chemist can come to your home to talk to you about your medicines and any problems or uncertainties you may have.