Prevalence of Insomnia and Sleep Habits during the First and Second Wave of COVID-19 in Belgium.

Belgium has one of the highest numbers of COVID-19 cases per 1 million inhabitants. The pandemic has led to significant societal changes with repercussions on sleep and on mental health. We aimed to investigate the effect of the first and the second wave of COVID-19 on the sleep of the Belgian populationWe launched two online questionnaires, one during the first lockdown (7240 respondents) and one during the second (3240 respondents), to test differences in self-reported clinical insomnia (as measured by the Insomnia Severity Index) and sleep habits during the two lockdowns in comparison with the pre-COVID period. The number of persons with clinical insomnia rose during the first lockdown (19.22%) and further during the second (28.91%) in comparison with pre-lockdown (7.04-7.66%). Bed and rise times were delayed and there was an increased time in bed and sleep onset latency. There was further a decrease in total sleep time and in sleep efficiency during both confinements. The prevalence of clinical insomnia quadrupled during the second wave in comparison with the pre-lockdown situation. Sleep habits were most altered in the younger population, indicating a greater risk for this group to develop a sleep-wake rhythm disorder.

Sex-Related Differences in Sleep-Related PSG Parameters and Daytime Complaints in a Clinical Population.

BACKGROUND: Recent research suggested that perception of sleep impairments might present sex-related effects (ie, women appear to be more prone to report fatigue rather than sleepiness). The latter has been evidenced in sleep-related breathing disorders (SRBD). Differently, it has been suggested that sleep-related movement disorders may also be associated to fatigue rather than to sleepiness. Whether sex-related differences would be similar irrespective of diagnosis remains unclear. METHODS: During a one-year period, systematic clinical evaluation, by means of structured symptom scales, was performed for a cohort of 921 consecutive patients attending an academic sleep center for polysomnography. The Brugmann Fatigue Scale (BFS), an instrument designed for the assessment of rest propensity was used among other scales (ie, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, ESS). According to inclusion and exclusion criteria, 420 men and 376 women were finally included in the study and retained for data analysis. RESULTS: While men and women presented with similar age, BMI, total sleep time and sleep efficiency, men presented with higher levels of respiratory events and more periodic limb movements. Irrespective of diagnosis, women presented with significantly higher levels of sleep-associated complaints on all scales. Comparative stratifications of daytime symptoms, per diagnostic groups (SRBD, Movement Disorders (SRMD) and Insomnia), revealed significant main effects for diagnosis alongside with main effects of biological sex. Associations between common markers of disease severity for SRBD or SRMD and sleep or rest propensity, respectively, only showed significant correlation between periodic limb movements and rest propensity. The strength of association was similarly significant for both sexes. CONCLUSION: While men displayed more objective impairment on polysomnography (PSG) and lower symptom levels, the opposite was true in women. However, both men and women present with statistically significant associations between SRMD severity (PLMS index) and physical fatigue.

The Brugmann Fatigue Scale: An Analogue to the Epworth Sleepiness Scale to Measure Behavioral Rest Propensity.

Background: While often confused, fatigue (as opposed to sleepiness) mostly requires rest, not sleep, to recover from. Clinical evaluations of fatigue mainly rely on assessments of symptom intensity, however without taking into account the need to engage in behavioral countermeasures. We therefore developed an 8-item 4-point Likert scale (the Brugmann Fatigue Scale; BFS) sharing a similar conceptual background with the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), assessing mental and physical fatigue and focusing specifically on rest propensity. Methods: Out of 496 consecutive patients addressed to the sleep unit of an academic hospital, we selected a sample of 295 hypnotic-free subjects (122 females). The present study examines (a) the psychometric properties of the BFS and (b) measurement invariance regarding perceived sleep quality, in parallel with common sleepiness and fatigue scales (ESS and Fatigue Severity Scale; FSS). In addition, (c) correlations of the BFS with clinical scales and polysomnographic variables were explored descriptively. Results: Rasch analyses revealed that the BFS possesses sound psychometric characteristics (rating scale functioning, item fit, dimensionality and measurement invariance) allowing for valid, reliable, linear and unidimensional measurement of mental and physical rest propensity, irrespective of perceived sleep quality, age, or gender. In addition, the BFS was significantly correlated to periodic limb movements during sleep and inversely to REM sleep duration. For both mental and physical subscales, scores above 6 are proposed as cutoff values. Conclusion: In analogy to the ESS, the BFS shows to be a unique and precise instrument assessing symptomatic fatigue with respect to rest propensity.

First Successful Mechanical Splint for Obstructive Sleep Apnea With an Orally Administrable Pharyngeal Stenting Device.

We report the case of obstructive sleep apnea in a 19-year-old, otherwise healthy male presenting with persistent daytime sleepiness and nonrestorative sleep after velo- and uvuloplasty. An individually tailored prototype of an orally inserted pharyngeal stenting device was proposed in the framework of a first clinical feasibility trial. The noninvasive, easily self-administered device is mounted on a simple inferior dental guard. Baseline total apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was 15.5 and 24.4 per hour of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. With the device, total AHI dropped to 6.7 per hour (56.8% reduction) and 1.4 per hour of REM (94.3% reduction). Recorded sleep efficiency during treatment was excellent at 96.5%. Laryngoscope, 129:1945-1948, 2019.

Effect of sleep bruxism duration on perceived sleep quality in middle-aged subjects.

Sleep-related bruxism may directly impact sleep quality. This study aims to evaluate potential relationships between sleep bruxism events and related daytime symptoms. We investigated 22 patients (42.1 ± 11.6 yr of age) with sleep bruxism in comparison with 12 good sleeper control subjects of similar age (41.0 ± 11.5 yr). Sleep bruxism was visually analyzed and categorized according to sleep stage, bruxism type (tonic/phasic) and duration. Clinical instruments comprised the Epworth Sleepiness, the Brugmann Fatigue Scale, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Rating Scale. Sleep quality was measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Controls and patients with sleep bruxism presented similar sleep architecture. However, patients with sleep bruxism displayed significantly decreased sleep efficiency and higher sleep fragmentation. Perceived sleep quality was significantly worse in patients with sleep bruxism than in control subjects. Additionally, patients presented with significantly greater fatigue intensity and more affective symptoms than controls. The cumulative durations of sleep bruxism events (phasic, tonic, and combined) were significantly correlated with deterioration of sleep quality, whereas neither the event index per hour of sleep nor the count of event types (phasic/tonic) were related to sleep quality. Patients with sleep bruxism present with higher levels of daytime fatigue and sleepiness than control subjects who experience good sleep and may also exhibit impairments of sleep quality which are related to the duration of bruxism occurrence rather than to its frequency.

Can positional therapy be simple, effective and well tolerated all together? A prospective study on treatment response and compliance in positional sleep apnea with a positioning pillow.

PURPOSE: Until now, there is no clear consensus on optimal care for mild sleep-related breathing disorders (SRBD) in general or for positional obstructive sleep apnea (POSA) in particular. Most proposed treatment options are either invasive and/or expensive. Positional therapy (PT) may therefore present as a valuable first-line intervention in POSA. METHODS: Twenty-eight patients presenting with POSA were enrolled in a prospective cohort study. The protocol consisted of three nights of polysomnography (PSG) in an academic sleep lab. Inclusion was based on the first PSG. During a consecutive PSG, PT was provided by means of a sleep-positioning pillow (Posiform®). The third PSG was performed after 1 month of PT. Sleepiness, fatigue, and sleep quality were assessed with the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), the fatigue severity scale (FSS), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Function Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire (FOSQ) at baseline, and after 1 and at 6 months of PT alongside satisfaction and compliance ratings. RESULTS: Significant immediate treatment effects after one night and sustained after 1 month were observed by significant reductions of sleep in supine position (p < .001), sleep fragmentation (p < .05), apnea-hypopnea (p < .001), respiratory disturbance (p < .001), and oxygen desaturation (p < .001) indices. PSQI (p < .001), ESS (p < .005), and FOSQ (p < .001) also showed significant and persistent improvements. CONCLUSIONS: Combined effects on sleep-related respiration and clinical symptoms were observed after PT initiation as well as after 1 month using the sleep-positioning pillow. Furthermore, reported compliance and overall satisfaction appeared to be highly concordant both at 1 month and 6 months follow-up.

While Isolated Periodic Limb Movement Disorder Significantly Impacts Sleep Depth and Efficiency, Co-Morbid Restless Leg Syndrome Mainly Exacerbates Perceived Sleep Quality.

BACKGROUND: Restless leg syndrome (RLS) and periodic limb movement (PLM) disorder (PLMD) can affect sleep quality and interfere with daytime functioning. Whether the co-morbidity of RLS further worsens daytime symptoms, sleep architecture and quality in patients with PLMs, is not yet fully clarified. METHODS: Sleep (polysomnography) and daytime symptoms of 47 drug-free patients, assigned to isolated PLMD or co-morbid RLS subgroups, were compared to controls in a retrospective cohort-study (n = 501). Associations between perceived sleep quality, fatigue, sleepiness, mood and sleep variables were explored descriptively. RESULTS: Although co-morbid patients showed worsened sleep quality, both patient groups showed similar sleepiness and affective symptoms. While significantly differing from controls, patients presented similarly increased light sleep, decreased slow-wave sleep and lowered sleep efficiency. Altered sleep quality, fatigue and sleepiness were significantly correlated to decreased slow-wave sleep and sleep fragmentation. Affective symptoms, fatigue and perceived sleep quality also correlated to PLM index. CONCLUSIONS: Sleep structure and efficiency were similarly impacted in isolated PLMD and in co-morbid RLS. RLS mainly worsened perceived sleep quality. Given that systematic treatment for isolated PLMD is currently not recommended, such results may question whether no or different-from-RLS treatment strategies are compatible with optimal care.

Is a one-night stay in the lab really enough to conclude? First-night effect and night-to-night variability in polysomnographic recordings among different clinical population samples.

While polysomnography remains the current gold standard in sleep investigation, guidelines for single night versus consecutive recordings in a sleep laboratory have been disputed mainly because of two phenomena: the first-night effect and night-to-night variability. One hundred and twenty nine subjects, that underwent two consecutive nights of polysomnographic recording in a general University Hospital's sleep lab, were divided into four groups: sleep-related breathing disorders (SRBD), insomnia, movement and behavioral disorders and a healthy control (HC) group based on their complaints at admission and sleep study results. Sleep parameters of both consecutive two nights were compared and analyzed. All groups showed a significant first-night effect. However the latter seemed more pronounced in the insomnia group. Furthermore, a clinically significant intra-patient night-to-night variability was found for the apnea-hypopnea index in the SRBD-group. Due to the observed first-night effect among any subject group and the potential impact of night-to-night variability of the apnea-hypopnea index, we conclude that the clinical assessment of sleep disorders should be similar in every patient. Hence, the present study underlines the importance of two consecutive nights of polysomnographic recording as a potential reference standard for the execution of sleep investigations.