Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a serious sleep condition that can affect men, women and children but over 80% of people don't know they have it.
The condition is where the throat closes up completely and you temporarily stop breathing - this causes a dip in the level of oxygen in the blood. The brain starts the body breathing again, says the British Lung Foundation, and often the person wakes with a gasp but isn't aware of what has just happened.
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If left untreated, sleep apnoea can lead to: high blood pressure (hypertension), heart attack, stroke, obesity and type 2 diabetes.