In a study from Flinders University, scientists found that people reporting symptoms of both insomnia and a high risk of obstructive sleep apnea are at an increased risk of death, compared to people without the conditions.
Insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are the two most common sleep disorders, each occurring in 10–30% of the general population, but in many patients, the conditions can occur at the same time in co-morbid insomnia and sleep apnea (COMISA).
Almost 50% of people with OSA have clinically significant insomnia, while 30–40% of people with chronic insomnia have OSA.
In the study, the team looked at data from almost 7,000 participants, with 74% people reporting no conditions, 3% having insomnia alone, 20% only obstructive sleep apnea, and 3.3% reported having COMISA.
The analysis found symptoms of co-morbid insomnia and sleep apnea (COMISA) was associated with a 56% increased risk of death from any cause compared to those without the condition, within the 11-year follow-up period of the study.
The study further highlights the risk of co-morbid insomnia and sleep apnea.
It shows that self-reported insomnia symptoms combined with the STOP-Bang questionnaire (a questionnaire used to assess people for obstructive sleep apnea) can be used to identify people with probable COMISA at risk of adverse health outcomes.
While it is important that at some point in a patient’s management they do take part in an overnight sleep study to confirm their diagnosis and determine the best treatment options, the reliability of self-reported symptoms could see more patients diagnosed with COMISA and sooner.
Currently, the recommended treatment for COMISA is a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy to treat insomnia, before starting continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy to treat sleep apnea.
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The study was conducted by Dr. Alexander Sweetman et al and published in Sleep Epidemiology.
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