91福利社

Obstructive sleep apnoea is a condition where a person鈥檚 breathing stops and starts repeatedly while they sleep, possibly over 30 times an hour, leaving them exhausted on waking. It affects millions around the world and can lead to serious health problems if left untreated.

Patients are often given a CPAP breathing device to keep air flowing into their lungs through the night. But the mask that covers the face can look and feel a bit strange. And there鈥檚 stigma too because although anyone can be affected by sleep apnoea, this is not the public perception.

Enter, the 鈥楥PAP Baddies鈥�, an informal online community who are on a social media mission to fight misconceptions around the condition and re-brand life with a CPAP machine.

Cheryl Diamond is one of them. She was diagnosed at the age of 40, after a lifetime of poor sleep. 鈥淎ny time I've seen a CPAP machine represented in a movie, it has always been as the joke. And the usual point of that joke is that someone is old, or that they're overweight and they're usually a man. So I just feel like it's good to normalise this.鈥�

We also hear from two doctors who work with patients like Cheryl, and agree that the condition needs to be more widely understood and embraced.

Presenter: James Reynolds
91福利社 producer: Megan Lawton
Boffin Media producer: Anne McNaught
Editors: Arja Haikonen and Harriet Oliver

A Boffin Media production in partnership with the 91福利社 World Service Outside Source team.

(Photo/credit: Taylor Kane who features in this week's programme)