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Is the chronotype associated with obstructive sleep apnea?
Lenise Jihe Kim1, Fernando Morgadinho Coelho, Camila Hirotsu
1Departamento de Psicobiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
Chronotype influences obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) severity, particularly in older, overweight individuals. Morning and evening chronotypes show increased apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) values, while intermediate chronotypes may offer protection.
Area of Science:
- Sleep Medicine
- Chronobiology
Background:
- Chronotype, an individual's natural sleep-wake cycle preference, shares a similar lifelong trajectory with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
- This suggests a potential influence of morningness or eveningness on OSA severity, measured by the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI).
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of different chronotypes in a São Paulo city population sample.
- To investigate the relationship between chronotype and the severity of obstructive sleep apnea.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional analysis of the São Paulo Epidemiologic Sleep Study (EPISONO) cohort.
- Participants underwent polysomnography and completed validated sleep questionnaires.
- Chronotypes were categorized as morning-type, intermediate, or evening-type.
Main Results:
- Morning-type individuals constituted 52.1% of the sample, followed by intermediate (39.5%) and evening-type (8.4%).
- Increased AHI values were observed in morning-type and evening-type individuals when stratified by age (>42 years) and body mass index (>26.8 kg/m²).
Conclusions:
- This study reveals an age- and BMI-dependent effect of chronotype on OSA severity.
- The intermediate chronotype may act as a protective factor against severe OSA in older and overweight individuals.
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