Wallsend man says sleep apnoea diagnosis changed his life
A logistics manager from Wallsend shares his experience of being diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnoea after years of undiagnosed exhaustion. The story highlights the life-changing impact of the diagnosis and the increasing pressure on NHS diagnostic services in the UK.
Why it matters
It raises awareness about a common but often overlooked health condition and highlights the strain on public healthcare diagnostic systems.
Share Save Add as preferred on Google BBC Kevin Clemitson was recently diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnoea For years, Kevin Clemitson thought his exhaustion was just part of his busy working life.
As a programme manager for a major logistics company, his job involved long days travelling across the country from his home in Wallsend, North Tyneside.
But, when doctors told him he might have sleep apnoea - repeatedly stopping and starting breathing at night - "everything changed".
Concerned he might fall asleep at the wheel, he started using public transport instead. "It had a real impact on my work," he says.
"I stopped driving long distances immediately. That added hours to every journey because, instead of driving, I needed to get the train.
"I just wanted to get it sorted as quickly as possible."
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