Predictors of sleep-disordered breathing in obese adults who are chronic short sleepers.
BACKGROUND
Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is common in obese adults, but not all obese adults have SDB. The aim of these analyses was to determine what predicted SDB in a sample of obese adults.


METHODS
We conducted cross-sectional analysis of 139 obese men and women aged 18-50 years who are chronic short sleepers. Habitual sleep duration and sleep efficiency were estimated using two weeks of wrist actigraphy. Respiratory disturbance index (RDI) was assessed by a portable screening device. SDB was defined as RDI ≥15 events h(-1). Subjective sleep quality, sleepiness, and sociodemographic characteristics were evaluated by questionnaires.


RESULTS
Increased sleep duration from actigraphy was associated with reduced odds of SDB (OR 0.44 per hour, p=0.043). Neither subjective sleep quality nor sleepiness was associated with SDB. Male sex, older age, and increased waist circumference were associated with increased odds of SDB.


CONCLUSIONS
In this sample of obese adults, subjective measures of sleep quality and sleepiness were not indicators of SDB. These results suggest that, in obese patients, physicians should not rely on subjective measures to determine who should be referred for a clinical sleep study. A wider use of portable apnea screening devices should be considered in nonsymptomatic, non-Hispanic white males.
Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA. kknutson@medicine.bsd.uchicago.edu
Kristen L
KL
Knutson
Xiongce
X
Zhao
Megan
M
Mattingly
Giulia
G
Galli
Giovanni
G
Cizza
D056044:Actigraphy; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications*; D012723:Sex; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000209:etiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055105:Waist Circumference; D055815:Young Adult