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Sleep apnoea

219 Respiratory Medicine doctors in Hong Kong →

Also known as: Obstructive sleep apnoea · CPAP ·

Obstructive sleep apnoea is the repeated stopping and starting of breathing in sleep because the airway becomes too narrow. During sleep it shows as pauses in breathing, gasping or choking sounds, loud snoring and frequent waking; by day as heavy tiredness, poor concentration, mood change and morning headaches. Left untreated it is associated with raised risks of high blood pressure, stroke, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Hong Kong has 219 registered Respiratory Medicine doctors.

Source: Medical Council of Hong Kong register · read 2026-09-20

ok.med editorial team ·
Compiled by the editorial team from the sources listed below. Not reviewed by an individual doctor.

What are the symptoms of sleep apnoea?

The symptoms fall into two groups: what happens during sleep, usually noticed by whoever shares the room, and what is felt during the day by the person themselves. The two together make the typical picture.

Daytime tiredness is often put down to work or age, and what happens in sleep needs someone else to report it. Both are easy to miss, which is why many cases surface only when the person sharing the room raises it.

It is also worth separating two meanings of “tired”. One is physical weariness that rest resolves; the other is difficulty staying awake, falling asleep even while sitting still. What the NHS describes is the second — that daytime sleepiness is the characteristic feature, and the one a doctor weighs most heavily when assessing the risk of driving or operating machinery.

The two sets of symptoms come from one mechanism: the airway narrows repeatedly, the body briefly rouses itself to restore breathing, and most of those arousals are too short to be remembered. The result is eight hours in bed broken into fragments — enough hours, not enough sleep. It is why counting hours alone will never reveal this condition.

Symptoms at night and by day
WhenWhat showsUsually noticed by
During sleepBreathing stopping and starting, gasping or choking noises, loud snoring, waking oftenA partner or whoever shares the room
By dayHeavy tiredness, poor concentration, mood change, morning headachesThe person themselves

What are the risks of leaving it?

The NHS states that untreated obstructive sleep apnoea is associated with high blood pressure, an increased risk of stroke, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and depression, with a raised risk of accidents through fatigue and difficulty concentrating at work or school.

That list has a concrete local extension: hypertension and type 2 diabetes are precisely the two conditions the Chronic Disease Co-Care Programme addresses, with subsidised screening and follow-up for residents aged 45 or above not already diagnosed. The hypertension and diabetes guides here set out the eligibility and co-payments.

That matters at the point of care. If tiredness brings someone to a doctor and the blood pressure reading also comes back high, the two may not be a coincidence; mentioning the sleep symptoms helps the doctor decide whether a sleep study referral is warranted rather than treating the blood pressure alone. The Centre for Health Protection defines hypertension as a sustained systolic reading of 140 mmHg or above, or diastolic of 90 mmHg or above.

The accident risk deserves separate mention. Fatigue-driven loss of concentration is not only a matter of work performance; for anyone who drives, operates machinery or works shifts it is a safety question. The NHS lists it alongside the cardiovascular risks rather than as a secondary inconvenience.

Medical Council of Hong Kong register

219 Respiratory Medicine doctors in Hong Kong

All 219 ›

The doctors below are listed from the Medical Council of Hong Kong register. This is not a recommendation, and says nothing about outcomes for this condition. Ask the doctor directly.

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Who is at higher risk of sleep apnoea?

The risk factors the NHS lists are obesity, a large neck size, increasing age, family history, alcohol, smoking, enlarged tonsils or adenoids, sleeping on the back, and a diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Some of these can be changed and some cannot. Enlarged tonsils or adenoids are particularly relevant in children and bear directly on ear, nose and throat management; in adults the picture more often involves weight, neck size and lifestyle.

Carrying risk factors is not the same as having the condition, and having none does not rule it out. The list serves one purpose: when the daytime and night-time symptoms both appear and several of these factors also hold, that is the reason to raise it with a doctor rather than to wait for the symptoms to become plainer.

How is it diagnosed and graded?

Diagnosis requires a sleep study. The NHS explains that a doctor may refer a patient to a sleep clinic, where overnight devices monitor breathing and heartbeat, with severity graded by the AHI score.

To read the score it helps to know what it counts: the AHI is the average number of times per hour that breathing stops or becomes shallow. A score of 30 therefore means roughly once every two minutes — which explains how someone can spend eight hours in bed and still get no unbroken deep sleep.

One more point: mild does not mean nothing needs doing. A score of 5 to 14 is already within the diagnosis, and whether treatment is needed — and which kind — is judged alongside the daytime symptoms, blood pressure and other health conditions, not from the number alone.

The AHI score and severity
AHI scoreSeverityWhat it indicates
5 to 14MildStill within the diagnosis; management is for the doctor to judge
15 to 30ModerateNot applicable
Over 30SevereNot applicable

At a glance

What a patient with sleep apnoea should

What a patient with sleep apnoea should know before surgery: light sedation raises the risk of apnoea, morphine-type painkillers are avoided where possible, same-day discharge may not be possible where such analgesia is expected or the airway is involved, and your own CPAP machine should be brought into hospital.
Source: Hospital Authority · Read the original ›

Must it be declared before an operation?

Yes — and this is the most practically local section on the page. Hospital Authority patient material sets out that sleep apnoea directly affects the anaesthetic arrangements and whether same-day discharge is possible.

The wording is specific: light sedation can be given but raises the risk of apnoea, so morphine-type painkillers are avoided where possible. A patient with sleep apnoea can have day surgery, but where morphine-type analgesia is expected, or the operation involves the airway, same-day discharge may not be possible; after major surgery a period of observation on a ward or even in intensive care may be needed.

What that means in practice is that sleep apnoea usually does not cancel an operation, but it does change the arrangements. Rather than learning on the day that same-day discharge is off, it is better to state at the pre-operative assessment that the condition is diagnosed, how severe it is, and whether a machine is in use, so the anaesthetist can plan ahead.

The same material advises bringing your own CPAP machine into hospital, because only your own is properly fitted to you, and continuing to use it after going home.

The reasoning behind that advice is worth noting: the pressure settings and mask are fitted to the individual, and a hospital may not be able to supply an equivalent at short notice. Bringing your own is therefore not a question of convenience but of whether the machine works for you at all.

What treatments are there for sleep apnoea?

The NHS lists lifestyle measures including weight loss, stopping smoking and reducing alcohol, with the main medical treatment being CPAP — a machine that gently pumps air through a mask to keep the airway open.

Other options include mandibular advancement devices, surgery, mouth and throat exercises, and hypoglossal nerve stimulation. Which applies depends on severity, cause and individual circumstances, and is for a doctor to assess; this page recommends none.

Worth bringing to the consultation:

  • What the person sharing the room has observed
  • How far the daytime sleepiness goes — whether it causes falling asleep at rest
  • Weight change
  • Drinking and smoking habits
  • Any existing blood pressure or blood sugar readings

These are what a doctor asks when deciding whether a sleep study is needed.

What matters particularly in Hong Kong?

Two things: the arrangements around surgery and anaesthesia, and the fact that two of the chronic conditions associated with sleep apnoea have a subsidised programme here. Both come from local official material.

  • Hospital Authority patient material states that a patient with sleep apnoea can have day surgery, but where morphine-type analgesia is expected or the operation involves the airway, same-day discharge may not be possible.Hospital Authority: day surgery information for patients with obstructive sleep apnoea · read · (source)
  • The same material states that light sedation can be given but raises the risk of apnoea, so morphine-type painkillers are avoided where possible.Hospital Authority: day surgery information for patients with obstructive sleep apnoea · read · (source)
  • The Hospital Authority advises bringing your own CPAP machine into hospital, because only your own is properly fitted to you, and continuing to use it after discharge.Hospital Authority: day surgery information for patients with obstructive sleep apnoea · read · (source)
  • Hypertension and type 2 diabetes, both associated with sleep apnoea, are covered in Hong Kong by the Chronic Disease Co-Care Programme: open to residents aged 45 or above not already known to have either, with a $120 co-payment for the screening consultation.Health Bureau announces details of the Chronic Disease Co-Care Pilot Scheme (25 September 2023) · read · (source)
  • The Centre for Health Protection defines hypertension in adults not on blood-pressure medication as a sustained systolic reading of 140 mmHg or above, or a sustained diastolic reading of 90 mmHg or above — one of the consequences associated with untreated sleep apnoea.Centre for Health Protection, Department of Health: hypertension · read · (source)

When should a doctor be seen?

  • Someone observing pauses in breathing, gasping or choking sounds during sleep.
  • Daytime sleepiness severe enough to make staying awake difficult at rest — particularly when driving or operating machinery.
  • Loud snoring together with morning headaches and poor concentration.
  • Known high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes alongside the sleep symptoms above.
  • Surgery or anaesthesia coming up — tell the team, because the anaesthetic plan and the discharge timing change.

Each has its own page and doctor list

Conditions related to Sleep apnoea

By district

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Frequently asked questions

Does snoring mean sleep apnoea?
Not necessarily. Loud snoring is one symptom, but the defining feature is breathing repeatedly stopping and starting, usually with gasping or choking sounds, frequent waking and heavy daytime tiredness. Diagnosis requires a sleep study.
Do I need to tell them before surgery?
Yes. Hospital Authority material states that light sedation raises the risk of apnoea and that morphine-type painkillers are avoided where possible; where such analgesia is expected or the airway is involved, same-day discharge may not be possible.
Should I bring my own CPAP machine to hospital?
Yes. The Hospital Authority states plainly that only your own machine is properly fitted to you, that it should be brought in, and that use should continue after discharge.
How is severity measured?
By the AHI score: 5 to 14 is mild, 15 to 30 moderate, and over 30 severe. The score comes from overnight monitoring at a sleep clinic.
What if it is left untreated?
The NHS associates it with high blood pressure, increased stroke risk, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and depression, with a raised accident risk through fatigue. In Hong Kong, hypertension and diabetes have a co-care programme offering subsidised screening and follow-up.
Does losing weight help?
The NHS lists weight loss among the lifestyle measures, alongside stopping smoking and reducing alcohol. Whether that is sufficient, and whether CPAP or another treatment is also needed, depends on severity and is for a doctor to assess.

Sources

  1. NHS: obstructive sleep apnoea — symptoms, risk factors, the consequences of leaving it, diagnosis, AHI severity grading and treatment options. NHS ()
  2. Hospital Authority: day surgery information for patients with obstructive sleep apnoea — sedation and analgesia, discharge timing, and bringing your own CPAP machine. Hospital Authority ()
  3. Health Bureau: the Chronic Disease Co-Care Pilot Scheme — subsidised screening and follow-up for hypertension and diabetes. HKSAR Government Press Release (25 September 2023) ()
  4. Centre for Health Protection: hypertension thresholds, cited for the link between sleep apnoea and raised blood pressure. Centre for Health Protection, Department of Health ()

This page is compiled from the Hong Kong official sources listed above. It is general information only — not a diagnosis, a treatment recommendation or medical advice, and no substitute for seeing a doctor. If you are unsure or your condition changes, consult a registered doctor.