Too much sitting 'causes sleep apnoea risk'

A new link has been discovered as to what increases the risk of people developing sleep apnoea.

According to Canadian scientists from the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, the more time a person spends sitting down during the day, the worse his problems with sleep apnoea may be.

This is because an increased length of time spent sitting down can increase the volume of fluid shifted from the legs to the neck during the night.

If people are active during the day calf muscle contractions normally help to prevent fluid from collecting in the legs.

Writing in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, the researchers said that "an important implication of our observations is that sedentary living may predispose to OSA not only by promoting obesity" but also by causing accumulation of fluid in the legs.

Earlier this month, the Daily Mail reported on a new device developed by the Imperial College London, which may help those suffering from sleep apnoea.