Sleep disturbance and depressive tendency in bed partners of patients with obstructive sleep apnea

Abstract

Background: Snoring, apnea, and arousal are commonly observed during sleep in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and these nocturnal symptoms frequently disturb their bed partners. We aimed to evaluate the sleep disturbance and depressive tendency in the bed partners of patients with OSA.

Methods: A cross-sectional, prospective study was conducted. A total of 136 patients with OSA and their bed partners were recruited. We analyzed the demographic data of both patients with OSA and bed partners and the polysomnography parameters of patients with OSA. The sleep quality of bed partners was assessed using the Chinese version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and depressive symptoms were evaluated using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D).

Results: The mean apnea–hypopnea index (AHI) was 43.5/h among all participants. Among bed partners, the mean PSQI score was 7.8 and the mean CES-D score was 15.4. The prevalence of chronic disease was significantly higher in bed partners with sleep disturbance (PSQI > 5) and depressive tendency (CES-D ≥ 16). The AHI and snore index of patients with OSA were not associated with bed partners’ sleep disturbance and depressive tendency respectively. The CES-D score was positively correlated with the PSQI score in the bed partners of patients with OSA (r = 0.426, p < 0.001).

Conclusions: Bed partners tended to have sleep disturbance, which was unrelated to the severity of AHI and snoring in patients with OSA. Poor sleep quality may cause depressive tendency and chronic disease in the bed partners of patients with OSA.