Weekend habits can ruin your dream

The long nights, alcohol consumption and smoking the ends From the week they can do more than disturb Monday morning: they could be triggering a sleep health problem.

The severity of the Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) It is not the same every night, and this variability can lead to incorrect diagnoses in approximately 20% of patients, in addition to being an independent risk factor for cardiovascular problems.

What is the obstructive sleep apnea?

Year is a common sleep disorder that affects around one billion people worldwide. It is due to the repeated collapse of the respiratory tract during sleep and, if not, the risk of heart disease, diabetes, cognitive impression, depression and even death increases. People concerned about their dream should consult their header.

Researchers of the Flinders Universitylocated in Adelaida, Australia, have identified a new phenomenon associated with the obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) during the weekends. It is not a different type of apnea, but a temporary pattern that is related to changes in sleep and lifestyle habits typical of the weekend, which define as ‘social apnea’.

The investigation, published in ‘American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine’, It presents social apnea as a new trend in sleep medicine referring to the increase in weekend in the severity of the obstructive sleep apnea (AOS), driven by lifestyle and irregular sleep patterns.

The investigation, which analyzed data from more than 70,000 people worldwide, revealed a constant and significant increase in the severity of years during weekends. “The sleep apnea is already an important public health problem, but our findings suggest that their true impact can be underestimated,” says the main author and researcher, Lucía Pinilla de FHMRI Sleep Health.

Pinilla explains that this increase in sleep respiratory disorders during the weekend can increase the risk of serious health problems, such as heart disease, depression, dementia, extreme fatigue and car accidents and another. The study found that participants had 18% more likely to have moderate to severe years on weekends (Saturdays) compared to mid -week (Wednesday).

Changes in sleep schedules, such as get awake late on weekends or sleep late, The sleep apnea worsened. Sleeping 45 minutes or more on weekends increased the risk of more serious sleep apnea by 47%.

Likewise, men had 21% more likely to be affected, compared to a 9% increase in women. Younger adults (under 60 years old) had a 24% higher risk on weekends, compared to 7% of 60 years or more.

First evidence that it is more serious on weekends

This study is the first evidence that the severity of Aos increases over the weekend. “We still don’t know why, but the alcohol consumptiona lighter dream and a less constant use of therapies for AOS probably influence, “says Professor Danny Eckert, director of Sleep Health of the FHMRI and lead author of the article.

“The obstructive sleep apnea tends to get worse during the summer and winter, and its severity increases between 8 and 19% compared to spring and autumn,” says Dr. Bastien Lechat, the lead author of an independent article recently published in ‘Nature’s Communications Medicine‘, affirms that similar mechanisms can boost seasonal variability in the severity of years.

This seasonal increase is partly explained by the highest temperatures, which interrupt sleep and cause lighter sleep phases, which is associated with a worst saos. In winter, sleeping more and waking up later increases REM sleep time, which also relates to a greater frequency of apnea episodes.

Professor Eckert says that these findings are aligned with the concept of ‘social apnea’ and highlight the need for sleep evaluations for several nights and more personalized approaches for diagnosis and treatment.

“Based on a single night’s dream study can overlook important variations, which leads to a subdiagnosis or an erroneous classification of the severity of the year,” says Professor Eckert.

How to avoid social apnea?

To combat the ‘social apnea’, Professor Eckert recommends maintaining a regular sleep routine. “Try to maintain the same sleep schedule during the week and weekend, making sure Sleep at 7 to 9 hours recommended At night, “he says.

Keep a fixed hour to wake up and use prescribed therapy for years, even on weekends, and go to sleep when you are sleepy will help you make sure enough and frequently, which can help fight the year peak during the weekend.