Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) occurs when soft tissue in the back of the airway collapses and blocks it, causing interruption in breathing lasting 10 seconds or more.
Being overweight is a major risk factor of the condition.
British medic, Dr Bertrand De Silva, will suggest to delegates at an obesity conference in London the problem can double the risk of road accidents.
Dr De Silva, who is medical director of American Sleep Medicine in California, will say: "Far from being regarded as a minor condition with irritating snoring, research has now identified Obstructive Sleep Apnoea as a fatal disease.
"This means that the condition and its consequences are now recognised as yet another co-morbidity of obesity along with type two diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.
"We predict that only 15% of suffering patients have been diagnosed, so despite the dangers, the majority are oblivious that they even suffer from the condition.
"It is known that OSA, which causes daytime sleepiness, doubles the risk of road accidents."
Dr De Silva, who will give his speech to the National Obesity Forum's seventh annual conference today, will inform the audience that the condition has been the subject of numerous new US research studies.
"Healthcare professionals and patients need to be mindful that OSA deserves its new-found place in the limelight as we also know that it increases the risk of heart conditions by 30%, dramatically increases hypertension, affects 58% of diabetic patients (90% if obese), impacts glucose intolerance and insulin resistance and is the second leading cause of erectile dysfunction," he will say.
OSA sufferers can experience 20 to 30 disruptions per hour all night without realising.
The primary treatment is a technique called continuous positive airway pressure, in which pressurised air is administered through a mask, although surgery and oral applications to prevent blockages can also be used.
Andrew Howard, head of road safety at the AA, said: "The risk of death or serious injury from falling asleep at the wheel is greater as these accidents tend to happen at higher speed, as drivers don't brake before crashing.
"Our research tells us that one in 10 motorists admit to nodding off at the wheel and are in danger of becoming a statistic - one of the up to 3,000 killed or seriously injured each year as a result of falling asleep."
Dr David Haslam, National Obesity Forum chairman and clinical director, added: "While OSA is not a new condition, this research highlights that its prevalence and significance is being disproportionately fuelled by obesity.
"It is important to correctly identify these patients from a public health standpoint especially as we are an ageing population that is becoming increasingly dependent upon their cars."
The conference - Obesity: Time To Get Serious - is at The Royal College of Physicians in Regent's Park.
Other speakers will include medical experts and academics as well as former Olympic rower Sir Steve Redgrave.
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