Zeynep Zeren Ucar

Association of Duration of Sleep and Cardiovascular and Metabolic Comorbidities in Sleep Apnea Syndrome

Background/Aim. Previous population-based studies found association between duration of sleep and cardiovascular and metabolic comorbidities. Our aim was to investigate the association between the duration of sleep and cardiovascular and metabolic comorbidities in OSAS. Patients and Methods. The study enrolled 312 patients, who had polysomnography (PSG) during 2006-2007 and responded to a telephone-administered questionnaire providing information on characteristics of sleep on average 12 months after PSG. Results. Of the patients, 90 were female (28.8%), 173 (58.5) received the diagnosis of OSAS, 150 (45%) had no comorbidities, 122 had hypertension (HT), 44 had diabetes mellitus (DM), and 38 had coronary heart disease (CHD). Mean ± SD of age in years was 47.2 ± 10.6, 56.5 ± 9.3, 53.2 ± 8.9, and 59.9 ± 9.0 for the no comorbidity, HT, DM, and CHD groups, respectively. Reported duration of sleep was not associated with any of the comorbidities in the overall group. In the analysis restricted to OSAS patients, sleep duration ≤6 hours was significantly associated with CHD after the adjustment for age, gender, and other associated factors (OR: 5.8, 95% CI: 1.0–32.6). Conclusions. Confirmation of the association between shorter duration of sleep and CHD will provide prognostic information and help for the management of OSAS.

Absenteeism and Delay to Work Due to Sleep Disorders in the Turkish Adult Population: A Questionnaire-Based National Survey

Sleep problems may have negative effects on work–life balance, overall health, and safety. We aimed to investigate the association between sleep disorders and absenteeism and delay to work (being late or tardy) among the working adult population. The study was conducted by using data from a large survey of working adults who participated in the Turkish Adult Population Epidemiology of Sleep Study (TAPES) managed by Turkish Sleep Medicine Society (TSMS). Secondary analyses was employed to examine absenteeism and delay to work and their associations with sleep problems, including sleepiness by Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), parasomnias, sleep apnea (by Berlin Questionnaire), sleep quality (by Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), and restless leg. History of any absenteeism and delay to work was observed in 276 (18%) and 443 (29%) out of 1,533 working adults, respectively. In the multivariate analyses, absenteeism was associated with younger age, female gender and poor sleep quality, while delay to work was associated with younger age, poor sleep quality, parasomnia, and sleepiness. In the presence of absenteeism and delay to work, sleep disorders including sleepiness, poor sleep quality, and parasomnia should be considered. Such evaluation may improve worker well-being and provide some additional benefits in terms of increasing productivity and lowering work-related costs.