Effectiveness of Compression Stocking on Overnight Fluid Shift in Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Patients

Overnight rostral fluid shift is one of the contributing factors for worsening obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Fluid shift has been recognized to play a role in the pathophysiology of sleep apnoea. Previous studies shown that fluid from the leg redistributes to the neck at night increases the neck circumference, hence indicating fluid accumulation in the neck. OSA patients are more susceptible to developing upper airway narrowing in response to fluid shift from the leg to the head and neck region. Previous studies were mainly done on Caucasian patients. The pathophysiology of OSA in Caucasian patients and Asian patients are different but both suffer a similar degree of OSA. The investigators would like to investigate if reducing leg swelling by a simple non-invasive intervention of wearing compression stocking during the day can attenuate sleep apnoea, and whether compression stocking is generally acceptable and well-tolerated among the general OSA population in Asia.