What to do

Now you have made up your mind about getting treatment for your sleepiness, a number of further questions will arise: like, what do I tell the boss?  Will I lose my job? Will I lose my licence?

You can find all the answers you need on the pages on this site.

By following these directions you will be able to take charge of your health condition and take yourself from feeling run down, irritable and depressed to getting your life back, and your licence, in a very, very much shorter time-frame than would apply without them.

Make a start by clicking on the links you will find on the ‘Where to start’ page.

Number 1 is the Epworth Sleepiness Scale and shows how much your sleepiness is affecting your daily life

The second  is the Berlin Snoring Questionnaire and shows where and when you snore and how badly.

Download both these questionnaires and fill them in.  Be honest.  If your family are telling you they can hear you snore in every room of the house, then say so.

Take them with you on your appointment with your GP.  These are standard forms, well-known in the medical world, and your GP will recognise them.  They will greatly accelerate your progress to getting a referral to a hospital consultant, which is what you want.

If the NHS route is too long to wait, and you’re happy with private medicine, there is another way to access treatment that’s even quicker than I have explained here: go to the ‘NHS or Private?‘ page.

Remember:

Phone your GP for an appointment as soon as you can; and don’t forget to have the two questionnaires printed and completed by the time you go.

Don’t put it off; remember, left untreated, Obstructive Sleep Apnoea will only get worse and turn into a far more serious illness that may shorten your life.

Think of your wife and family: how do you think they would feel about losing their Dad because he wouldn’t go and get himself treated?

OSA is a ‘life-style’ disorder: on treatment, you will most likely feel a lot more enthusiastic about taking exercise, losing weight and cutting down on the foods that are bad for you.  All positive steps towards possibly eliminating your OSA altogether.

 Do it now, you’ll be glad you did!