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Sleep disorders - particularly sleep apnoea - are costing millions every year, the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand and the Australasian Sleep Association (TSANZ) say.
Recently published research has shown the total cost of obstructive sleep apnoea, where people sleep poorly because of repeated blockage of their airways, is at least $40 million a year or $419 per case per annum.
TSANZ said the costs were made up of lost production, medical costs and increased risk of accidents and other illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and respiratory failure.
"The ongoing diagnosis and treatment of this condition is causing thousands of people to feel constantly tired and lethargic and puts them at risk of other serious health problems," TSANZ president Michael Epton said.
"We know how to treat sleep apnoea and many other sleep disorders, but there is simply not enough money within DHBs to pay because of capped funding in this area."
TSANZ said this had resulted in the extraordinary situation of DHB sleep centres with long waiting lists operating at half capacity.
Alister Neill, from the University of Otago Wellington and the WellSleep Centre, said improved training structures, development of services for groups with high needs and targeted research to improve clinical practice was also needed.
"The Ministry of Health needs to work with us to achieve this."
Research has shown that increasing obesity is linked to rising prevalence of obstructive sleep apnoea not only in adults but also children.
At least 16,000 adults and up to 2 per cent of children were affected by the problem.
Dr Epton said doing something about the problem was much more cost effective for the whole health system.
"It is senseless and totally uneconomic to continue as we are," he said.
- NZPA
