Sleep Apnea and Sleepiness Raises Older Adults’ Death Risk

A study in the latest issue of the journal SLEEP provides further evidence that sleep apnea should never be left untreated. Older adults have twice the death risk when excessive daytime sleepiness is paired with obstructive sleep apnea.

The study involved 289 participants at least 65 years old and with no clear signs of dementia or depression. The average age at the start of the study was about 78 years old. About three-quarters of the patients were female.

An overnight sleep study at the beginning of the study was used to diagnose participants with obstructive sleep apnea. Subjects who indicated that they felt sleepy or struggled to stay awake during the daytime at least three to four times a week had excessive daytime sleepiness.

Social security death index records indicate after 14 years nearly 55 percent of the participants died. Results show that participants with excessive daytime sleepiness combined with sleep apnea were more than twice as likely to have died. Being sleepy in and of itself did not lead to an increased mortality risk.

The lead author of the study says it’s still unclear exactly why sleep apnea and excessive daytime sleepiness increase the risk of death in older adults, but he suspects it may be related to inflammation. Cases of inflammation may increase the risk of other medical problems such as hypertension.

Obstructive sleep apnea affects nearly 20 percent of older adults. It occurs when the soft tissue in the back of the throat collapses and blocks the upper airway during sleep, causing pauses in breathing.

The study was unable to demonstrate whether treatment for sleep apnea reduced the risk of death. The Sleep Education Blog strongly recommends that anyone with moderate to severe sleep apnea seek treatment immediately.

CPAP therapy is the first-line treatment for obstructive sleep apnea, especially in more severe cases. Surgery and oral appliance therapy are also effective options for lesser cases.

If you think you may have sleep apnea, get checked out at one of the more than 2,200 AASM-accredited sleep disorders centers in the United States. Go to http://www.sleepcenters.org/ to find a sleep center near you.

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Chronic Insomnia a Death Risk for Men

Consider seeking cognitive-behavioral therapy for long-term insomnia, especially if you are a male. New research shows men who consistently get less than six hours of sleep are four times more likely to die.

A long-term mortality study published in the September issue of the journal SLEEP demonstrates why identifying and treating insomnia early on should become a top health priority.

The study involved 741 men and 1,000 women with an average age of 50 years old. Researchers determined which subjects had insomnia using sleep diaries, physical exams and overnight sleep studies. About four percent of men had chronic insomnia and slept less than six hours per day.

After 14 years, more than half the male insomniacs had died. Only 9.1 percent of “good sleepers” were deceased. Death risk was even higher for men who had insomnia and diabetes or hypertension. The results were adjusted to account for risky conditions such as obesity, alcohol use and obstructive sleep apnea.

There was little difference in mortality rates for females with insomnia and "good sleepers." The authors of the study couldn’t determine why the relationship seemed to only affect men. One reason may be because they followed women for only 10 years, as opposed to 14 years.

Among all participants, one in five males died over the course of the study, while only 5 percent of women died.

Reduce your risk by aiming for the ideal amount of sleep for adults – 7 to 8 hours each night. Long-sleepers also have higher than average mortality rates, a recent study reports.

A number of other studies have also looked at the link between sleep duration and mortality. Previous findings show chronic insomnia increases the risk of type 2 diabetes and hypertension and is associated with neurocognitive deficits.

Learn more about cognitive-behavioral therapy, the leading treatment for long-term insomnia at sleepeducation.com.

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