Siobhan Clare Cooper - medical technologist

People suffering from sleep apnea have broken sleep patterns and are often chronically tired, sometimes lethargic and even depressed. The condition, which is basically a temporary failure to breathe, can be caused by excess tissue blocking the throat, muscle weakness or the brain not signalling for breathing to start again.

Because the body is temporarily deprived of oxygen, there is an increased risk of heart disease and stroke in sleep apnea sufferers. Some people are also at risk of not restarting their breathing at the end of an episode of sleep apnea, which could lead to brain damage.

In the Respiratory Sleep Disorders Clinic at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth, I monitor the breathing and sleep patterns of sleep apnea patients overnight and look for abnormalities. The results are analysed to find out the possible causes of the sleep or snoring problems. Because the work must be done overnight, I have to work shifts.

Night work means having to adjust to sleeping in the daytime, but it's easier to get things done in the clinic without the interruptions that occur during the day.

To get into the field of respiratory sleep disorders, I studied anatomy, human biology and physiology, with some pharmacology and statistics units as well.

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