Miliband set for nose surgery to help correct sleep disorder

Mr Miliband, who is MP for Doncaster North, has been diagnosed with sleep apnoea, a condition which interrupts breathing during sleep and wakes the sufferer up.

That is being made worse for the Labour leader by a “deviated” septum in his nose.

He is to undergo surgery to correct the septum at the end of July, as MPs break up for the lengthy summer recess.

It has been reported that Mr Miliband, who is getting married next month, was having surgery on his adenoids in order to improve his voice and make him sound less “bunged up”.

But his spokesman said: “Ed Miliband has been diagnosed with sleep apnoea, made worse by a deviated septum.

“On medical advice he is having a routine operation to correct the deviated septum at the end of July with the NHS. We do not intend to comment further.”

Sleep apnoea is a condition in which breathing temporarily stops during sleep. This is usually caused by an obstruction blocking the back of the throat so that air cannot reach the lungs.

The cessation of breathing automatically forces you to wake up in order to start breathing again, according to the Sleep Apnoea Association.

Extremely loud snoring, excessive daytime sleepiness, and morning headaches are some of the symptoms.

Adenotonsillectomy, or the removal of the tonsils and adenoids, alone is not an effective treatment for adults with sleep apnoea, according to the association.

Soft tissue at the back of the throat would need to be removed to cure the condition altogether. This has a success rate of 65 per cent.