Hull charity Hope 2 Sleep helping more people with sleep apnoea

The retired sales assistant added: “Before treatment, the wife said I snored like a pig. I would also wake up panting, covered in sweat, in a real panic.”

Tests showed he had severe OSA.

According to figures published in The Lancet, external, eight million people in the UK have the condition.

Natalie Fox, spokesperson for Hope 2 Sleep, said Mr Entwistle’s symptoms were common among OSA patients.

She said: “Other symptoms include morning headaches or dizziness, a dry mouth and waking up not feeling refreshed, as they should do if they allowed themselves the right amount of sleep.”

Ms Fox said the consequences of not correcting OSA were severe.

“Undiagnosed, the condition can lead to high cholesterol, high blood pressure, stroke and heart attacks,” she said.

Ms Fox urged anyone with symptoms to visit their GP, who may refer them for a sleep study, which analyses breathing patterns to determine if they have OSA.

“We suggest people take with them to the sleep clinic any recordings showing their disturbed sleep,” she said.