The impacts of ambient relative humidity and temperature on supine position-related obstructive sleep apnea in adults

Impact of PM2.5, relative humidity, and temperature on sleep quality: a cross-sectional study in Taipei

INTRODUCTION

TWe investigated impacts of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5), relative humidity (RH), and temperature on sleep stages and arousal.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A cross-sectional analysis involving 8,611 participants was conducted at a sleep center in Taipei. We estimated individual-level exposure to RH, temperature, and PM2.5 over 1-day, 7-day, and 30-day periods. Linear regression models assessed the relationship between these environmental factors and sleep parameters across different seasons. Mediation analysis was used to explore PM2.5, RH, and temperature roles in these relationships.

RESULTS

A 1% increase in RH over 1 and 7 days was associated with changes in non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep stages and increases in the arousal index across all seasons. A 1°C increase in temperature over similar periods led to increases in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. During cold season, changes in RH and temperature were linked to variations in arousal and NREM sleep stages. In hot season, RH and temperature increases were correlated with changes in NREM sleep stages and arousal. Across all groups, a 1-μg/m³ increase in PM2.5 levels was associated with alterations in NREM and REM sleep stages and increases in the arousal index. We found PM2.5 levels mediated relationships between RH, temperature, and various sleep stages, particularly in cold season.

CONCLUSIONS

Lower RH and temperature, contributing to deep sleep reduction and increased arousal, were influenced by elevated PM2.5 exposure, especially during colder months. Enhancing environmental quality and reducing PM2.5 levels may lead to improved sleep quality.

Association between sleep and meteorology in late-onset depression patients

OBJECTIVE

To explore the sleep characteristics in different seasons and whether meteorology are related to sleep quality in LOD patients.

METHODS

A total of 241 LDO patients from Anhui Mental Health Center (2019-2023) were recruited. Meteorological data from the U.S. National Centers for Environmental Information ( https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/maps/daily/ ). Difference analysis, correlation analysis, multiple linear regression models and restricted cubic splines to evaluate the relationship between season, meteorology and sleep quality among LOD patients.

RESULTS

Compared with winter and spring, LOD patients have higher sleep efficiency and shorter awakening time in summer and autumn (p < 0.05). Higher precipitation was associated with improved sleep efficiency (β = 0.193, 95% CI [0.044, 0.685], p = 0.026), and associated with decreased awakening time (β =-0.194, 95% CI [-3.712, -0.252], p = 0.025). Higher sunshine intensity was related to increased rapid eye movement (REM) sleep duration (β = 0.27, 95% CI [0.024, 0.151], p = 0.007) and REM% (β = 0.26, 95% CI [0.005, 0.036], p = 0.010). Sunshine intensity exhibited an inverted U-shaped relationship with awakening time (inflection points at 160.8 Wh/m2, p = 0.031, p-nonlinear = 0.008) and exhibited U-shaped relationship with sleep efficiency (inflection points at 166.9 Wh/m2, p = 0.081, p-nonlinear = 0.029). Temperature exhibited U-shaped relationship with sleep efficiency (inflection points at 20.3 °C, p = 0.044, p-nonlinear = 0.030), total sleep time (inflection points at 20.7 °C, p = 0.006, p-nonlinear = 0.008) and stage 2 of non-rapid eye movement (N2) duration (inflection points at 18.5 °C, p < 0.001, p-nonlinear < 0.001). Specific humidity exhibited U-shaped relationship with sleep efficiency (inflection points at 11.9 g/kg, p = 0.123, p-nonlinear = 0.042) and N2 duration (inflection points at 11.7 g/kg, p = 0.028, p-nonlinear = 0.008), and exhibited inverted U-shaped relationship with stage 1 of non-rapid eye movement (N1) duration (inflection points at 10 g/kg, p = 0.007, p-nonlinear = 0.020).

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates that sleep quality is poorest in LOD patients under moderate sunshine intensity, temperature, and humidity conditions, whereas extreme conditions enhance sleep efficiency and N2 duration while reducing awakening time.

Climate warming may undermine sleep duration and quality in repeated-measure study of 23 million records

The impact of rising ambient temperatures on sleep and its phases under climate change is becoming increasingly concerning but remains underexplored. Sleep, consisting of non-rapid eye movement and rapid eye movement phases, is crucial for health, and insufficient sleep in either phase could have significant implications. Based on sleep monitoring data of 23 million days from 214,445 participants across mainland China, we investigated how daily average temperature affected sleep. For each 10 °C increase in ambient temperature, the odds of sleep insufficiency increased by 20.1%, while total sleep duration decreased by 9.67 minutes, with deep sleep declining the most (by 2.82%). Projections under the unrestricted (SSP5-8.5) greenhouse gas emission scenario suggest that by the end of the century, sleep insufficiency could rise by 10.50%, with an annual loss of 33.28 hours of sleep per person. These findings highlight the potential of climate warming to exacerbate sleep deprivation and degrade sleep quality, especially for the elderly, women, individuals with obesity, and regions of South, Centre and East.

The Associations of Long-Term Temperature and Precipitation with Chronic Respiratory Symptoms: Projections for the Changing Climate

PURPOSE

To clarify the associations of climatic indices with chronic respiratory symptoms, with a final aim to approximate the effects of climate change on them.

METHODS

An e-mail survey was directed to the members of the Finnish Pensioners` Federation. The mean 20-years' precipitation and temperature in each subjects' home municipality were obtained from the Finnish Meteorological Institute, separately for summer and winter. Adjusted multivariate models were utilized to investigate the associations of the climatic indices with chronic rhinosinusitis, chronic cough, wheezing with dyspnea, and sleep apnea.

RESULTS

There were 6189 responders from 283 municipalities. Chronic rhinosinusitis and chronic cough were most prevalent in the southeastern regions of the country, where the precipitation counts were highest. In the multivariate models, winter precipitation in the home municipality increased the risks of chronic rhinosinusitis and chronic cough [adjusted OR 1.80 (1.30-2.51) per 100 mm, p < 0.001, and 1.57 (1.19-2.07) per 100 mm, p = 0.001, respectively]. Wheezing with dyspnea and sleep apnea were not associated with the climatic indices.

CONCLUSION

Chronic rhinosinusitis and chronic cough were associated with long-term winter precipitation. Given the anticipated increase in winter precipitation in Northern America and Northern Europe, the prevalences of chronic rhinosinusitis and chronic cough may increase there.

Higher ambient temperatures may worsen obstructive sleep apnea: A nationwide smartwatch-based analysis of 6.2 million person-days

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a serious type of sleep disorder that can lead to cardiometabolic and neurocognitive diseases. We utilized smart device-based photoplethysmography technology to collect sleep data from the Chinese population from 2019 to 2022. Distributed lag nonlinear models combined with a generalized nonlinear model or a linear mixed effects model were used to investigate the short-term associations between daily temperature and indicators of OSA severity. We included a total of 6,232,056 d of sleep monitoring data from 51,842 participants with moderate to severe risk of OSA from 313 Chinese cities. The relationships between ambient temperature and OSA exacerbation, apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), and minimum oxygen saturation (MinSpO2) were almost linear and present only on the same day. Higher temperatures were associated with a greater risk of OSA exacerbation, with an 8.4% (95% confidence interval (CI): 7.6%-9.3%) increase per 10 °C increase in temperature. A 10 °C increase in daily temperature corresponded to an AHI increase of 0.70 events/h (95% CI: 0.65-0.76) and a MinSpO2 decrease of 0.18% (95% CI: 0.16%-0.19%). Exposure to elevated temperatures during the night can also lead to adverse effects. The effects of higher temperatures on OSA severity were stronger among men, participants with a body mass index ≥ 24 kg/m2, those aged 45 years and older, individuals with a history of hypertension and diabetes, and during the cold season. This large-scale, nationwide, longitudinal study provides robust evidence suggesting that higher ambient temperatures may immediately worsen OSA.

Does seasonality affect snoring? A study based on international data from the past decade

BACKGROUND

Though snoring is often regarded as a harmless condition that coincides with sound sleep, it is a sleep disorder that can be a potential indicator of more severe conditions such as sleep apnea syndrome. In the present study, we investigated the association between seasonal variations and snoring.

METHOD

Search index for snoring (SIS) data were obtained from Google Trends and Baidu Index. SIS data were collected for the USA, India, Germany, Russia, Japan, Australia, China, and Brazil from 2011 to 2020, with the periodicity of the relationship between seasonal time series data and snoring evaluated using a time series decomposition model.

RESULT

The highest average SIS growth rates from 2011 to 2020 were observed for Brazil, Japan, and Germany, with average SIS values of 94%, 68%, and 49%, respectively. The SIS of the USA, Russia, Japan, Brazil, Australia, Germany, and India increased by 22.3%, 12.4%, 11.9%, 35.4%, 12.3%, 28.0%, and 55.8%, respectively, in comparison with their SIS values in 2019, whereas for China, it decreased by 13.7%. Relative to countries in the southern hemisphere, those in the northern hemisphere showed comparable SIS trends, increasing from September to February and decreasing from March to August.

CONCLUSION

The SIS data showed cyclical changes over the study period. The search index for snoring increased during the cold season or the heating season, suggesting that snoring is associated with seasonal changes.

Ambient relative humidity-dependent obstructive sleep apnea severity in cold season: A case-control study

BACKGROUND

The objective of this study was to examine associations of daily averages and daily variations in ambient relative humidity (RH), temperature, and PM_2.5 on the obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) severity.

METHODS

A case-control study was conducted to retrospectively recruit 8628 subjects in a sleep center between January 2015 and December 2021, including 1307 control (apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) < 5 events/h), 3661 mild-to-moderate OSA (AHI of 5-30 events/h), and 3597 severe OSA subjects (AHI > 30 events/h). A logistic regression was used to examine the odds ratio (OR) of outcome variables (daily mean or difference in RH, temperature, and PM_2.5 for 1, 7, and 30 days) with OSA severity (by the groups). Two-factor logistic regression models were conducted to examine the OR of RH with the daily mean or difference in temperature or PM_2.5 with OSA severity. An exposure-response relationship analysis was conducted to examine the outcome variables with OSA severity in all, cold and warm seasons.

RESULTS

We observed associations of mean PM_2.5 and RH with respective increases of 0.04-0.08 and 0.01-0.03 events/h for the AHI in OSA patients. An increase in the daily difference of 1 % RH increased the AHI by 0.02-0.03 events/h in OSA patients. A daily PM_2.5 decrease of 1 μg/m³ reduced the AHI by 0.03 events/h, whereas a daily decrease in the RH of 1 % reduced the AHI by 0.03-0.04 events/h. The two-factor model confirmed the most robust associations of ambient RH with AHI in OSA patients. The exposure-response relationship in temperature and RH showed obviously seasonal patterns with OSA severity.

CONCLUSION

Short-term ambient variations in RH and PM_2.5 were associated with changes in the AHI in OSA patients, especially RH in cold season. Reducing exposure to high ambient RH and PM_2.5 levels may have protective effects on the AHI in OSA patients.

Longitudinal Sleep Study in Pregnancy: Cohort Profile and Prevalence and Risk Factors for Sleep Symptoms in the First Trimester

Sleep disorders could influence pregnancy outcomes but evidence for longitudinal associations is scarce. We established a prospective cohort of women to determine incident sleep issues and their adverse health outcomes during pregnancy and beyond, and present here the baseline cohort profile. Antenatal women in gestational weeks 8-12 were recruited (n = 535) and followed-up in each trimester and at 5-6 weeks postpartum (no attrition). Sleep symptoms and disorders were measured using STOP-Bang and Berlin questionnaires and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Incident health outcomes were extracted from clinical records. At the time of recruitment, habitual snoring was present in 13.8% of participants; "excessive sleepiness during the day" (EDS) in 42.8%; short (<7 h) sleep duration in 46.4%; "having trouble sleeping" in 15.3%; and "poor subjective sleep quality" in 8.6%. Habitual snoring was strongly associated with irregular menstrual periods for one year preceding pregnancy (p = 0.014) and higher BMI (p < 0.001). Higher age was associated with less "trouble sleeping" (OR 0.9, p = 0.033) and longer sleep duration was associated with better "subjective sleep quality" (OR 0.8, p = 0.005). Sleep issues were highly prevalent at baseline and associated with age, irregular menstruation, and obesity. This cohort will provide a robust platform to investigate incident sleep disorders during pregnancy and their effects on adverse pregnancy outcomes and long-term health of women and their offspring.