Clinical Characteristics and Treatment Efficacy for Co-Morbid Insomnia and Sleep Apnea (COMISA): Evidence from Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis

OBJECTIVES

A multitude of physical and mental challenges are being faced in the population with Co-morbid Insomnia and Sleep Apnea (COMISA). Unfortunately, research about clinical characteristics and management of COMISA based on quantitative evidence is lacking.

METHOD

Standard procedures for literature retrieval, selection and quality assessment, data extraction, analysis, and interpretation were conducted step by step. For studying the sleep characteristics, common complications and widely recognized treatment options for COMISA, Weighted Mean Difference (WMD) and Odds Ratio (OR) were applied to assess the mean and risk differences between compared groups. Outcomes included sleep health parameters and secondary impairments in physical and mental well-being.

RESULTS

COMISA showed worse sleep quality than OSA only by PSQI (WMD = 3.38 point) and heavier sleep fragmentation (WMD = 11.46 min) than insomnia only. Besides, COMISA patients showed a higher risk for depression (OR [95%CI] = 5.03[2.31, 10.93]) and PTSD (OR [95%CI] = 3.96[1.85, 8.46]) in comparison with OSA alone. Compared to insomnia alone, COMISA patients suffered from more than two times higher risk of cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, and diabetes. In treating COMISA patients, combining CBTI with PAP treatment can enhance the improvement of insomnia severity (ISI, WMD [95%CI] =-3.26[-4.51, -2.00] point) and sleep efficiency (WMD [95%CI] = 6.39[1.97, 10.81] %) compared to PAP alone.

CONCLUSIONS

Impaired sleep domains in COMISA cover sleep quality and sleep structure. Also, COMISA has a higher risk for cardiometabolic diseases and mental disorders. Combining CBTI with PAP can be a recommended treatment to relieve sleep impairments for COMISA.

Worldwide prevalence and associated risk factors of obstructive sleep apnea: a meta-analysis and meta-regression

PURPOSE

This study aimed to identify the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and associated risk factors globally.

METHODS

Six databases and registrations and three grey databases were explored for observational field research. Independently and impartially paired reviewers selected research, gathered data, and evaluated the methodological quality. Heterogeneity was investigated using subgroup analysis and meta-regression following the moderating variable in a meta-analysis of proportions with a random-effects model. The critical appraisal instrument developed by the Joanna Briggs Institute was used to evaluate the listed studies' methodology. The certainty of the evidence was evaluated using the GRADE tool.

RESULTS

A total of 8236 articles were collected during the database search, resulting in 99 articles included for qualitative synthesis, and 98 articles were included for the meta-analysis. The estimated combined prevalence of OSA was 54% [CI 95% = 46-62%; I2 = 100%]. Mean age, percentage of moderate-severe cases, and the sample's body mass index (BMI) did not affect the heterogeneity that was already present when meta-regressed (p > 0.05). Ninety-one studies were deemed to have a low risk of bias, while eight were deemed to have a moderate risk. For OSA prevalence outcomes, the GRADE criteria were considered very low.

CONCLUSION

Approximately half of the people worldwide have OSA. High BMI, increasing age, and male gender are described as risk factors in the literature, but these covariates do not affect pre-existing heterogeneity.

The Effect of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) on Subjective–Objective Sleep Discrepancy in Individuals with Co-Morbid Insomnia and Sleep Apnoea: A Randomised Controlled Trial

People with insomnia frequently underestimate the duration of their sleep compared to objective polysomnography-measured sleep duration. Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is the most effective treatment for insomnia and also reduces the degree of sleep underestimation. Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a highly prevalent sleep disorder characterised by frequent narrowing (hypopnoea) and closure (apnoea) of the upper airway during sleep. Comorbid insomnia and sleep apnoea (COMISA) is a prevalent and debilitating disorder. No study has investigated subjectively (sleep diary) versus objectively (polysomnography) measured sleep discrepancies (SOSD) in individuals with COMISA before or following CBT-I. This randomised waitlist-controlled trial investigated SOSD in 145 participants with COMISA before and 6-weeks after CBT-I (n = 72) versus control (n = 73). All participants were studied prior to continuous positive airway pressure treatment for sleep apnoea. At baseline, participants underestimated their total sleep time (mean ± SD −51.9 ± 94.1 min) and sleep efficiency (−9.6 ± 18.3%), and overestimated sleep onset latency (34.5 ± 86.1 min; all p = < 0.001). Mixed models indicated a main effect of time on reduction of SOSD in both groups, but no between-group difference in the reduction of any SOSD parameters. These findings may indicate that untreated OSA contributes to a discrepancy between perceived and objective sleep parameters in people with COMISA that is not amenable to CBT-I alone (ACTRN12613001178730).