Sleep apnoea causes people to wake up numerous times through the night
As the country continues to delve deeper into the obesity problem the implications are consistently arising, the NHS is now struggling with a "tidal wave" of sleep disorders.
The number of people being referred for sleep problems in Scotland has risend 25 per cent over the past three years, with about 80 per cent of patients overweight.
More diagnoses of sleep apnoea - where a person has problems breathing as they sleep, which wakes them up - are being made than lung cancer and emphysema put together.
Dr Tom Mackay, an expert in sleep disorders at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh told the BBC that they were seeing a "tidal wave" of patients.
Being overweight and obese can heighten the probability of symptoms with those that suffer with sleep apnoea.
Dr Mackay said: "Over the past five to 10 years we have noticed quite a rise in the number of people being referred to us.
"That rise seems to be accelerating. We are now seeing 2,500 new patients each year.
"We are reaching capacity in terms of what we can cope with, and there is an undoubted link with people's weight."
Dr Mackay has urged anyone who thinks they may be suffering from sleep apnoea to get properly diagnosed.
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