Short sleep duration, not sleep apnea, linked to daytime sleepiness

April 1 (UPI) -- Sleep apnea may not be the reason people feel tired during the day, a new study says.

Daytime sleepiness is associated with short sleep duration at night, not obstructive sleep apnea disorder, according to research published Monday in Chest. Sleep apnea was, however, linked to higher incidences hypertension, obesity and dyslipidemia.

"Our findings suggest potential distinct clinical impacts of OSA and SSD," Luciano F. Drager, A searcher at Center of Clinical and Epidemiologic Research Andy study author, said in a news release. "The potential impact on patient care is that our results underscore the need to advance our knowledge of OSA and SSD determination to avoid the 'one-size-fits-all' approach and instead tailor personalized preventive, diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic strategies to our patients."

This study, unlike others in the past that relied on self-reporting, used data from wrist monitors worn by participants to keep track of sleep duration over a seven-day period. Using the devices, the researchers observed more problems with sleep duration than they previously thought existed.

"Our findings do not mean that OSA never causes sleepiness, but in clinical practice a significant proportion of patients with OSA are asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic," Drager said.

Overall, more than a quarter of patients in the study had short sleep disorder, while about a third had sleep apnea. About 11 percent had both disorders.

"The additional lack of association of SSD with obesity, dyslipidemia, and diabetes in our large cohort reinforces the potential need to reappraise the evidence on subjective SSD and cardiometabolic risk factors," Drager said.