Obstructive Sleep Apnoea
In obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), the throat narrows or closes many times during sleep, briefly stopping your breathing. Signs include loud snoring, breathing pauses or gasping noticed by a partner, waking unrefreshed, morning headaches and daytime sleepiness. It is more common with excess weight, in men, after menopause, and with age. Untreated, it raises the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and car crashes. A sleep study, often done at home, confirms it. Medicare covers the study if a screening questionnaire shows you are at risk.
Treatment options
Ratings show how strong the research is.
- Strong evidenceCPAP (continuous positive airway pressure)A quiet machine blows air through a mask to keep your throat open. The most effective treatment for moderate to severe OSA. Improves sleepiness, mood and blood pressure. Use it all night, every night. A well-fitted mask makes a big difference.
- Strong evidenceWeight loss, if above a healthy weightLosing 10% of your body weight can greatly reduce OSA, and sometimes cures it. Weight-loss surgery helps a lot in people with severe obesity.
- Moderate evidenceMandibular advancement splintA custom mouthguard from a dentist with sleep training that holds the lower jaw forward. Good for mild to moderate OSA, or if CPAP doesn’t suit you. Pharmacy "boil and bite" devices work less well. You need a follow-up sleep study to check it works.
- Moderate evidenceTirzepatide (Mounjaro)A weekly weight-loss injection, approved in Australia in 2025 for moderate to severe OSA in adults with obesity. It can halve breathing pauses in a year. Not PBS-subsidised, so it is costly.
- Moderate evidenceRemoving tonsils and adenoids (children)The main treatment for children with OSA and large tonsils.
- Limited evidenceSleeping on your sideHelps if your OSA happens mostly on your back. Positional devices can help, but many people stop using them.
- Limited evidenceThroat or jaw surgery, or a nerve stimulator implantFor selected adults who can’t use CPAP or a splint, after sleep specialist review.
- Not recommendedSleeping tablets, opioids and alcohol at nightThey relax the throat and make OSA worse.
- Not recommendedAnti-snoring sprays, pillows and mouth tapingNo good evidence that they treat OSA, and they can delay proper treatment.
What you can do
- Don’t drive when sleepy. Take a break every 2 hours on long trips, and pull over if you feel drowsy.
- Avoid alcohol within 3 hours of bed. Quit smoking. Treat a blocked nose.
- Keep at CPAP: most people need a few weeks to get used to it. Ask your provider about mask fit and a humidifier.
- Tell your driver licensing authority if sleep apnoea affects your driving. Most people can keep driving once treated.
See your GP if
- You snore loudly, stop breathing or gasp in your sleep, or wake unrefreshed
- You feel sleepy during the day, especially while driving
- You have high blood pressure that’s hard to control, heart rhythm problems or type 2 diabetes
- A child snores most nights, breathes through their mouth, or has trouble with behaviour or concentration
Stop driving and see your GP soon if you have nodded off at the wheel or had a crash or near miss from sleepiness. Call 000 for chest pain, severe breathlessness, or if someone can’t be woken.
Evidence and more information
- Austroads: Assessing fitness to drive, sleep disorders
- AJGP: Management of obstructive sleep apnoea in primary care (2024)
- Sleep Health Foundation: TGA approves Mounjaro for OSA
- Healthdirect: Obstructive sleep apnoea
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