British Lung Foundation's care call for sleep disorders

Zoe Clarke suffers from sleep paralysis a condition which means her body is asleep while she is still awake

Many sleep disorder sufferers in Wales are failing to get proper diagnosis and treatment, says the British Lung Foundation (BLF).

The charity said the Welsh NHS must take the issue more seriously.

Thousands in Wales are believed to have conditions such as sleep apnoea, which causes sufferers to stop breathing.

The assembly government said it was up to local health boards to provide services, but a meeting on Friday will start to plan how they can be improved.

Sleep specialists will discuss improving patient care with NHS officials as part of a review.

Chris Mulholland, head of BLF Wales, said: "As individuals, and as a country, we have to wake up to the importance of sleep.

"With increasing rates of sleep apnoea, we have to ensure that everyone in Wales who needs access to a sleep service can get it."

Obstructive sleep apnoea is caused by the throat narrowing too much while sleeping.

The airways get blocked and prevent breathing which wakes the sufferer up, then the muscles tighten again and unblock the airways.

Gareth Cornfield would stop breathing 85 times an hour

This process can happen hundreds of times a night.

Sleeping disorders can have serious consequences with one study showing sufferers were many times more likely to be involved in a car crash because of fatigue.

Gareth Cornfield, 46, of Llangennech in Carmarthenshire, has suffered from a sleeping disorder for around 30 years but his life has been transformed by a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine.

He said: "I would fall asleep during the day. I saw the start of many films and the end of lots of others and [would] try to work out why everything had gone to a cartoon because I would just switch off.

"It was causing a danger if you were driving. I don't think I ever fell asleep at the wheel but I did blink for long periods and it becomes dangerous."

SLEEP APNOEA FACTS Estimated to affect up to 4% of healthy men, and 2% of healthy women, between 30 and 60 Sufferers are four to five times more likely than average to have a severe car crash (involving injuries) More than 50% of patients with sleep apnoea have high blood pressure Source: British Lung Foundation

Mr Cornfield said he was "shocked and scared to death" when tests showed that before he started using the CPAP machine, he used to stop breathing 85 times an hour while asleep.

"I really can't over-estimate the difference that treatment has made to me - it has changed my life," he said.

"I now wake up feeling refreshed and ready for the day ahead, instead of just slightly less tired than when I first went to bed."

An assembly government spokesperson said: "Local health boards are responsible for providing the appropriate sleep apnoea services for their local populations.

"Health boards are currently reviewing services, and as part of this, workshops are being held involving consultants, nurses and health care managers to discuss and plan how services and overall patient experience can be improved.