Stress, unmanned snoring among the most prominent sleep disadvantages of the past year

ResMed celebrates National Sleep Awareness Week and World Sleep Day this week Sleep for a better tomorrow The initiative sought to further investigate sleep trends in the United States over the past year.

In a February 2021 survey of 1,000 Americans over the age of 18, half (50%) of participants reported stress and concern that they had a negative impact on sleep over the past year. I found out. When stratified by gender, more women (35%) reported poorer sleep quality than men (26%), with stress and anxiety being the most prominent causes of sleep disorders among women. ..

Another finding in the report highlights a new trend last year. Postponement of care.. Of the 58% of Americans who responded to snoring in the survey, 72% are not worried if it may be related to their underlying health.These populations are due to snoring being shown as the greatest symptom of sleep apnea. Greater risk In the case of hypertension, heart failure, and dysrhythmia, these are all associated with obstructive sleep apnea, the most common form of sleep apnea.

Some notable findings were also reported:

• 35% of respondents say they have a hard time falling asleep or waking up
• 32% say they sleep less than last year
• 26% started taking naps more often
• Those who work from home in the pandemic (39%) report improved sleep quality over those who do not work from home (21%).

“COVID-19 affects every aspect of our lives, including our sleep health, and many people struggle to get the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep at night.” Dr. Carlos M. Nunes, Chief Medical Officer of ResMed, said.so statement..

By exchanging emails with American Journal of Managed Care^®(((AJMC^®), Nunes emphasizes the implications of the findings, especially raising awareness of sleep disorders among US physicians and adhering to better sleep outcome-related therapies such as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy. Further discusses.

AJMC^®: One of the notable findings of the survey was that nearly half of the survey respondents said doctors had not asked about sleep quality in the past year. Is this common? And how do unaddressed sleep problems affect overall well-being?

Nunez: The survey found that nearly half of patients said they hadn’t been asked about sleep quality by their doctors in the past year. This is a concern as a truly peaceful night’s sleep is an important part of your health and should not be ignored. Unfortunately, the average doctor educated in the United States is probably too common, as he has only a few hours of formal sleep medicine education in medical school.

Sleep apnea, one of the most common sleep disorders, affects more than 50 million people in the United States, but 80% are diagnosed and untreated. However, undiagnosed and untreated sleep apnea is associated with many serious health conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and even shortened lifespan.

AJMC^®: 78% of those who reported snoring in the survey are not concerned about whether snoring may be related to underlying health conditions such as sleep apnea. Postponement of care is widely reported in the pandemic, but do you predict that cases of sleep apnea, such as obstructive sleep apnea, will intensify as more people seek care? And how can patients and physicians optimally assess this often undiagnosed condition?

Nunez: We have already seen sleep apnea testing and diagnostic rates return to pre-pandemic levels in the last few months as COVID-19 restrictions have changed and vaccine deployments have begun. In addition, cloud-connected CPAP devices helped patients and physicians maintain care and treatment as well throughout the pandemic.

The impact on adherence when patients use digitally connected CPAP therapy is worth pointing out. 87% of CPAP users are in compliance Treatment for remote self-monitoring, about 50% for devices not connected to the cloud.

Patients using ResMed devices can self-monitor their use of CPAP. myAir, A mobile app that provides nighttime data about treatment, giving healthcare providers quick access to that data in the following ways: AirView, A cloud-based platform for remote patient monitoring, helping to share clinical insights with providers and reduce costs associated with patient follow-up.

To assess sleep apnea, it is helpful to know related symptoms such as snoring, excessive malaise, poor concentration, and morning headaches. Ultimately, it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor about your symptoms and concerns. SleepforBetterTomorrow.com It also provides patients with a free sleep apnea assessment.

It is important for doctors to talk more often with patients about sleep health and patterns. Many doctors feel that they spend less time talking to their patients, but sooner or later deal with potential sleep disorders such as sleep health and sleep apnea to address other potential comorbidities. May help you.

AJMC^®: Do you have any other ideas?

Nunez: Part of the hurdle to educating patients about sleep apnea is to overcome the stereotypes associated with CPAP therapy. CPAP devices are constantly improving in size, quietness, comfort, smartness, and ease of use, enabling a more peaceful sleep. It is important to share this with the patient. It can help support adherence and better health outcomes.