For those who are suffering Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the condition over the weekend can deteriorate significantly.
After investigating changes in severity, researchers at Flinders University in Australia found that OSA symptoms were significantly more pronounced at the end of the week.
Published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Crival Care Medicine, this study analyzed sleep data from over 70,000 users of the Matt Stress Sleep Monitor, which tracked weekly OSA severity.
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Data were collected for the Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI), a measure of sleep duration, timing and severity of sleep apnea.
Participants – Mainly middle-aged, Overweight man – There were an average of 5 or more OSA events per night.
OSA severity “has increased significantly” over the weekend, up 18% on Saturday compared to Wednesday. Overall severity scores were 6% higher on weekends compared to average days.
This increase was found to be greater among males and participants under the age of 60.
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“This real-world study assessing daily variation in OSA severity for over 70,000 users revealed that OSA severity increased globally over the weekend, a phenomenon known as “social apnea.”
Weekend catch-up sleep and “social jet lag” – this can be defined as the inconsistency between someone’s natural circadian rhythm and its social clock, but the probability of OSA increased by 47% and 38% respectively over the weekend.
“This is consistent with previous findings that irregular sleep is associated with a greater probability of OSA,” the author commented. “Weekend catch-up sleep and social jet lag can worsen OSA severity, as OSA is usually more severe during REM sleep.”
The authors also identified other factors that could affect the severity of OSA, including increased alcohol consumption and smoking.
“More research is needed to better understand the causes and mechanisms behind the new social apnea phenomenon identified in this study,” they added.
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Sleep Expert Dr. Wendy Troxel – A senior behavioral expert at Land Corporation who was not involved in the study and licensed clinical psychologist, also responded to the results of an interview with Fox News Digital.
“This recent study provides new insight into the daily variability in the severity of obstructive sleep apnea, highlighting what the authors call the “social apnea” effect.
Troxel agreed that these variations in OSA severity are likely due to increased “general weekend behavior.” Alcohol consumptionskip CPAP treatment and “catch up” with sleep.
“All of these can disrupt sleep and circadian rhythms and worsen the severity of apnea,” she said.
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These findings suggest that overnight sleep tests performed on weekdays may underestimate the severity of OSA, according to experts.
“Individuals with OSA should maintain a consistent sleep-wake schedule throughout the week, limit alcohol intake, and use CPAP treatments as prescribed every night,” advised Troxel.
