The demand for polysomnographic recordings associated with respiratory control exceeds the capacity of the few existing sleep disorder centres and therefore a simple and inexpensive method is needed for screening and diagnosing sleep-related breathing disorders. The static charge sensitive bed (SCSB) permits long-term recordings of body movements, respiratory movements and the ballistocardiogram (BCG) without electrodes or cables being attached to the subject. The aim of the present study was to test the validity of this particular method in detecting obstructive sleep apnoeas without airflow measurements. Simultaneous SCSB and spirometer recordings were compared in fourteen sleep apnoea patients and six controls. The mean sensitivity of the SCSB method to detect the obstructive apnoeas was 0.92-0.98. The specificity to detect 2 min apnoea epochs was 0.61-0.68 in the apnoea group, while in the control group it was 0.99-1.00. According to this study, the SCSB detects the obstructive events without always distinguishing between severe periodic hypopnoeas and obstructive apnoeas. The sensitivity of the SCSB makes it valuable for screening subjects suspected of having obstructive sleep apnoeas. Further studies will concentrate on a more detailed analysis of the various respiratory, BCG and body movement patterns, which may lead to additional information on the severity of the upper airway obstruction.