'I now know what was causing me to doze off...'
On regular camping trips with his children, William Morris (45) from Tullow, Co Carlow, would wake each morning to find neighbouring tent owners far removed from the place where they had pitched their tents on the previous evening. Such was his snoring that his children, partner and passing strangers were affected on a nightly basis.
Three and a half years ago, William attended the doctor on hearing of a condition called sleep apnoea and underwent an overnight assessment in hospital. During a prolonged period of diagnosis, he was advised to stop operating as a taxi driver and to hire someone to drive his taxi in his temporary absence.
"I could never understand why, when I was out driving, I could get so tired in the afternoons. I would just be exhausted and always tired, even though I was going to bed at 10 or 11 and getting up at seven," says William.
"I now know what was causing me to doze off while sitting waiting in the taxi some afternoons. I used to have people coming up and tapping the window asking 'are you working?'"
Wherever William goes today, his continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine accompanies him. On one recent occasion, when he forgot to bring it with him on a night away from home, he slept on the floor of the bathroom to allow his partner to sleep.