Analysis of subjective sleep quality in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

Objective To study the subjective sleep quality in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome(OSAS). Methods Two hundred and seventeen patients with OSAS confirmed by an all-night (7 hrs) polysomnogram(PSG) were evaluated by Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Results According to the testing results of PSQI, 88 subjects (40.5%) were identified as sleepers (4≤PSQI8.5), and another 88 subjects (40.5%) as very poor sleepers(PSQI≥8.5). The patients' scores with sub-scales (components I to VII) of PSQI were 1.6±0.9, 1.1±1.1, 1.1±1.1, 1.4±1.2, 0.8±0.6, 0.3±0.9 and 1.9±1.1, respectively (P0.01).There were weak negative correlations between Apnea/hypopnea Index and PSQI, and some sub-scales (component I, II, III, IV, VI)(r=-0.15～0.42, P0.05 or 0.01). Conclusion OSAS patients exhibit poor sleep quality, mainly consisting of day-time dysfunction, poor subjective sleep quality and reduced sleep efficiency. However, apnea/hypopnea itself is not the main factor that influences the subjective sleep quality of the patients.