Sleep relief, 20 years on

Many of us take a good night's sleep for granted but it evaded an Albany man for about 20 years before he was diagnosed with a common sleep disorder.

Dave Burgess was one of the first people to be diagnosed with sleep apnoea when the Albany Sleep Clinic opened in 2007.

Sleep apnoea sufferers experience snoring and repeated pauses in their breathing as their airways become restricted during sleep.

Last fortnight, UWA Centre for Sleep Science Winthrop professor Peter Eastwood gave a public lecture at UWA Albany about sleep apnoea, which attracted 95 people.

Sleep apnoea is associated with fatigue and with fatigue-related accidents, diabetes and depression.

Mr Burgess said waking up suddenly an average of 30 times an hour affected his whole life dramatically.

He said sleep deprivation affected his concentration, memory and productivity, to the point where he would feel like "nodding off" behind the wheel after two hours.

After having a sleep study at the clinic, which involved measuring his nasal airflow, eye movement and oxygen levels, Mr Burgess's life changed literally overnight.

"I can drive all day now, no problem," he said.

"It has improved all aspects of my life."

Albany Sleep Clinic owner Vicki Ronayne said more than 3000 people had visited the clinic since it opened, mainly for sleep apnoea diagnosis and equipment used to treat the condition.

"There is a need for the service here," she said.

"It does not discriminate between gender or age and often goes undiagnosed."