EPISODE 5: Sarah Keeley

In the fifth episode of the series, Dr Una met 41-year-old Sarah Keeley from Darlington. Sarah felt as if she was spiralling into a decline, obese, out of shape and looking exhausted. She was a heavy smoker and drinker and had low self-esteem, being particularly self-conscious about her flabby tummy.

Sarah tells Dr Una that she suffers from breathlessness and can make a walk in the park look like a marathon. She was only getting two hours of restful sleep a night and snored terribly. Behind the dark circles around Sarah eyes and her short, stout neck Dr Una saw the tell-tale signs of sleep apnoea, a potentially fatal condition that causes sufferers to suddenly stop breathing in their sleep. To add to Dr Una’s concerns, Sarah also has a family history of breast cancer and heart disease.

After has a series of tests, which revealed the first stages of alcoholic liver disease and confirmed sleep apnoea, Dr Una placed Sarah’s estimated life expectancy at only 59 years.

Dr Una and Tim got to work as Sarah quits smoking and lowers her alcohol consumption. To support her exercise regime, she ditched her junk diet for a low-fat, high-fibre plan.

After just six weeks the results were staggering. Sarah lost 18lbs, improved her breathing and sleep, and she was full of energy. However, despite Sarah’s progress, her stomach was still flabby and no amount of exercise will tone it up. So, after careful consideration, she opts for a tummy tuck.

Sarah visited Dr Una for her final check up to be told she had lost two stone, her blood pressure had gone from high to healthy and her liver had started to repair itself. Her neck had reduced to 15 inches and she was sleeping soundly for 6 hours each night. But the best news for Sarah is that her life expectancy had increased by an amazing 25 years to 84, the highest of all the contributors in the series.

Sarah now has more time to live with her friends and family. “I don’t want to sound too dramatic, but this programme has probably saved my life and that’s something I’ll always be grateful for,” she says.

Tests And Tips

Up to 3 million Britons suffer from sleep apnoea and don’t even know it. If you have a snoring problem and wake up a lot in the night, sleep apnoea may be the cause.

Sufferers will stop breathing up to a hundred times a night, starving the brain of oxygen and putting strain on the heart.

Being overweight with a big neck is one of the major causes of sleep apnoea and usually affects men. Extra fat in the neck squashes the throat from the outside, particularly when the throat muscles become floppy during sleep. Anything more than a 16-inch neck on a woman and a 17-inch neck measurement for a man, is a concern.

Sleep apnoea can also affect the waking hours. Sufferers are seven times more likely to have car accidents due to slow reaction times.

You can measure your reaction time with a simple ruler test. Hold your hand 2 inches below a ruler held vertically above and try to catch the ruler between two fingers when it is dropped. A healthy person should be able to catch the ruler at about the 11cm mark.

To improve your sleep patterns:

Quit smoking because cigarettes contain sleep-disrupting drugs and damage the liver.

Ban alcohol because it disrupts sleeping pattern, damages the liver and causes weight gain.

Improve your diet because this will reduce fat around the neck and tackle sleep apnoea.

Exercise because vigorous exercise will burn calories and prepare the body for sleep.

You might be surprised to hear some other interesting body facts

Thanks to Preventicum, London Centre of Preventive Medicine, for providing medical services.