More than 10% of the adult population of New Zealand is said to be suffering from sleep apnoea, says Christchurch Hospital sleep specialist Michael Hlavac. This is also because the sleep services in New Zealand fail to deal with the burden due to their poor resourcing.

The consequences of untreated OSA are said to be severe and this is the reason behind the concern, as it has been seen than in most of the cases, the condition is not recognized and hence goes untreated.

Heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure and diabetes are some of the diseases associated with sleep apnoea. This disorder is said to occur when a person in his sleep fails to breathe up to 60 seconds as a result of airway collapsing. This failure in breathing is said to cause a blockage in the throat or upper airway.

Dr Hlavac, who is also Chairman of the NZ branch of the Australasian Sleep Association, says, "Even more concerning is the increased rates of sleep apnoea in Maori and Pacific people, who are much less able to access health services, and generally have more severe disease".

Specialists have confirmed that this condition is likely to take place several times in one night and often after each episode the patient wakes up with a gasping, snorting or choking sound.