Dedication to CPAP Takes a Positive Personality

Do you view CPAP as the machine that can save your health or is it a consequence of your lifestyle choices? How you answer may predict whether you’ll stick with CPAP or become the 25-50 percent of obstructive sleep apnea patients who leave their condition untreated.

A study in the journal Sleep and Breathing examined what types of personalities adhere to CPAP, the front-line treatment for obstructive sleep apnea.

A positive outlook plays the biggest role, researchers discovered. The ideal patient is optimistic and responsive to the rewards from treatment, such as increased energy and improved mood.Pessimists and people with strong feelings of fear and anxiety will likely have a much more difficult time in the initial stages of CPAP therapy.

The study involved 31 men and 32 women previously diagnosed with sleep apnea. Their personalities were classified using a series of personality inventories completed at the beginning of the study.

Researchers referred to each of the patient’s medical records to look at CPAP adherence. The study defined adherence as using CPAP for at least 4 hours a night for about 5 nights per week.

By comparing personality types to medical records, researchers discovered positive or negative outlook predicted CPAP adherence 3 out of 4 times.

The findings are great news for the type of people who look at the bright side of things. There’s still hope even if you see the glass as half empty. It just might take some extra work.

Doctors are increasingly referring CPAP patients to behavioral sleep specialists who can help you improve your outlook and tackle the challenges of changing your lifestyle.

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Your Sleep Personality Type

A new study examined how your natural sleep preference may be related to your personality type.

The study from Spain involved 862 college students. They were between the ages of 18 and 30.

They completed a short version of the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ). It measures your circadian “chronotype” – your preferred sleep schedule.

Some people have a circadian clock that makes them “evening types.” These “owls” have a natural tendency to stay up late at night and sleep late in the morning. In contrast “morning types” are “larks” who prefer to go to bed early and wake up early.

The students also completed a short version of the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). It measures seven dimensions of personality.

Results show that women had higher TCI scores for harm avoidance, reward dependence and cooperativeness. Men had higher scores for novelty seeking.

How did sleep preference and personality type interact? Evening types had higher scores for novelty seeking. People with this personality type tend to be curious, impulsive and easily bored.

Only men who were evening types had both a lower harm avoidance score and a higher novelty-seeking score. People who are low in harm avoidance tend to be carefree, energetic and outgoing.

Last year a study reported that people who are “evening types” have a higher risk of severe depressive symptoms. Another study suggested that morning types may never reach a level of maximum performance during the day.

Learn more about the lark and owl chronotypes.

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