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Editor’s note: This guide was originally published in 2017 and updated in 2026 to reflect how Irish life insurers currently assess sleep apnoea when underwriting life insurance and mortgage protection applications.
If you have sleep apnoea and need life insurance or mortgage protection, the first question is simple.
Will insurers cover you?
In many cases the answer is yes.
Sleep apnoea doesn’t automatically stop you getting cover. What matters is the severity of the condition, whether it is being treated properly, and whether it has created other health risks.
Where people run into trouble is applying blindly. Different insurers assess sleep apnoea differently, and once one company declines or postpones an application the next insurer will ask why. That can narrow your options quickly.
So the goal is not just getting cover. The goal is applying to the right insurer first.
Sleep apnoea is more than heavy snoring. It is a condition where breathing repeatedly stops during sleep.
These interruptions reduce oxygen levels and place stress on the cardiovascular system.
Untreated sleep apnoea is associated with increased risks of:
Because of this, insurers look beyond the diagnosis itself. They want to understand how severe the condition is and whether it is being properly managed.
Before an insurer decides whether to offer cover, underwriters normally want to understand a few core facts.
The most important medical measurement is the Apnea–Hypopnea Index (AHI).
This score measures how many breathing interruptions occur during an hour of sleep.
Yes, very often.
If you use a CPAP machine and follow your doctor’s treatment plan, insurers usually view the risk more favourably.
Treatment shows that the condition is being managed and reduces the likelihood of long-term complications.
Underwriters may ask your GP to confirm treatment compliance or request the results of your latest sleep study.
That medical report normally includes your AHI score and details of how well treatment is working.
Yes, the same underwriting principles apply to mortgage protection.
The insurer still assesses the overall risk to your life expectancy rather than the condition itself.
However, where people often get caught out is the order they apply.
If you apply directly to the wrong insurer and they decline the application, every future insurer will ask whether you have been refused before. That previous decision can make the next underwriter more cautious, even if they might otherwise have offered terms.
In reality, the order you apply in matters.
When someone comes to us with sleep apnoea, we do not immediately submit an application.
Instead we speak anonymously with underwriters across the insurers we work with. We outline the medical details and ask which company is most likely to look at the case favourably.
Only then do we submit the application to the most appropriate insurer.
This approach helps avoid unnecessary declines and usually leads to better outcomes.
If you have sleep apnoea and need life insurance or mortgage protection, the best starting point is to gather the key information insurers will ask about.
This normally includes your sleep study results, AHI score, details of treatment, and any related medical conditions.
If you’d like me to review your situation and identify which insurer is most likely to offer favourable terms, complete this short questionnaire:
Medical Conditions Life Insurance Questionnaire
Once I have the details, I can approach the insurers and see what is realistically possible before you submit an application.
Written by Nick McGowan, QFA RPA APA
Nick is a qualified financial advisor and founder of Lion.ie, a multi-agency Irish life insurance and income protection brokerage based in Tullamore.
He’s been helping people secure fair, transparent cover for over 15 years and was named Protection Broker of the Year 2022.
If you’d like straight answers without the sales pitch, learn more about Nick here.
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