Studies Link Sleep Disorder To Death Risks

New studies show how critical it is for adults with obstructive sleep apnea to seek treatment for the sleep disorder.

Asian Scientist (Oct. 21, 2013) – Two new studies from Korea and Australia show just how critical it is for adults to seek treatment for a obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the most common type of sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder that occurs when a person’s breathing is interrupted during sleep. People with untreated sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes hundreds of times. This may cause the brain (and the rest of the body) to suffer from a lack of oxygen.

The studies, published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, found that people with OSA had higher general and cardiovascular mortality, and were more likely to be involved in motor vehicle crashes.

One study, involving 2,240 Korean adults, is the first to examine the link between OSA and mortality in Asians. The study showed that people with severe OSA were 2.5 times more likely to die from all causes than people who had a mild form of the condition. Furthermore, their cardiovascular mortality risk was more than 4 times higher. According to the researchers, the results are consistent with previous studies in the U.S. and other countries.

Another study of 2,673 patients in Australia found that untreated OSA is associated with an increased risk of motor vehicle crashes in very sleepy men as well as near-misses in men and women. Participants with untreated OSA reported crashes at a rate three times higher than the general community.

To emphasize just how important getting an optimal amount of sleep is for maintaining physical and mental health, a third study published in the same journal found that short sleep duration of 5 hours or less per day and long sleep duration of 9 hours or more per day was associated with poor self-rated health in Korean adults.

The articles can be found at:
Lee et al. (2013) Mortality Of Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea In Korea.
Ward et al. (2013) Excessive Daytime Sleepiness Increases The Risk Of Motor Vehicle Crash In Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
Kim et al. (2013) The Association Between Sleep Duration And Self-Rated Health In The Korean General Population.

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Source: American Academy of Sleep Medicine; Photo: Instant Vantage/Flickr/CC.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.

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