Analysis of the Correlation between Sleep Hygiene and Clinical Symptoms in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients

Abstract

Objective: By doing a survey on obstructive sleep apnea patients, this study tried to analyze the relationship between the various subjects relating to sleep hygiene and clinical symptoms. Method: A total of 197 patients completed the survey. The survey was composed of 4 categories; daytime symptoms, nighttime symptoms, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and sleep hygiene. The daytime and nighttime symptoms were graded by the 10 point Visual Analogue Scale, and sleep hygiene by the 3 Point scale, the higher points indicating severity. Results: The result of figuring out the correlation between the 9 categories of sleep hygiene and the 3 categories of the symptoms, showed that in cases of inappropriate temperature and humidity, the 3 symptom categories were more severe (nighttime symptoms r = 0.565, daytime symptoms r = 0.379, ESS r = 0.318). Drinking before sleep (nighttime symptoms r = 0.647, daytime symptoms r = 0.455, ESS r = 0.297) and emotional excitement or arousal (nighttime symptoms r = 0.542, daytime symptoms r = 0.392, ESS r = 0.336) caused higher severity results in each symptom category. Conclusion: If patients who complain of sleep apnea symptoms were to control the factors in sleep hygiene mentioned above, it could be possible to hope for an improvement in daytime symptoms as well as increase in sleep quantity and satisfaction.