The quality of sleep estimated by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index in patients with mild and severe obstructive sleep apnea

Abstract

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a chronic sleep disorder characterized by recurrent episodes involving the partial or complete collapse of the upper respiratory tract. The main symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea are loud snoring, increased daytime sleepiness, and respiratory arrest that someone else has witnessed. Poor sleep quality is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and can also be an indicator of the cardiovascular health index. The aim of this retrospective study was to determine the differences between mild and severe OSA patients in terms of sleep quality.

Methods: Demographic data, polysomnographic recordings, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores for 130 OSA patients were retrospectively extracted from the institutional information system. Mild and severe OSA patients were compared according to sleep quality measured with the PSQI.

Main findings: Obstructive sleep apnea was more common in men than in women (a ratio of 1.76:1). There were no sex differences in the severity of apnea or in the scores for all seven PSQI subcategories. In comparison with the mild OSA group, the severe one had statistically significantly higher PSQI scores in the subcategory of sleep disturbances (p=0.047). There were no major variances between mild and severe OSA groups in the scores for the six other PSQI subcategories.

Principal conclusions: The severity of OSA and sleep quality were not influenced by sex. More severe sleep disorders were associated with more serious forms of OSA. Other examined components indicating sleep quality were not influenced by the severity of OSA.