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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2012 Apr 1;35(4):513-7.
doi: 10.5665/sleep.1736.

Ambient temperature and obstructive sleep apnea: effects on sleep, sleep apnea, and morning alertness

Fredrik Valham  1 , Carin Sahlin, Hans Stenlund, Karl A Franklin
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Ambient temperature and obstructive sleep apnea: effects on sleep, sleep apnea, and morning alertness

Fredrik Valham et al. Sleep. .

Abstract

Study objectives: The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of ambient temperature on sleep, sleep apnea, and morning alertness in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

Design: Randomized controlled trial.

Setting: In-hospital investigations.

Participants: Forty patients with obstructive sleep apnea naïve to treatment, with an apnea-hypopnea index of 10-30.

Interventions: Three different nights in room temperatures of 16°C, 20°C, and 24°C.

Measurements: Overnight polysomnography and Karolinska Sleepiness Scale.

Results: The obstructive apnea-hypopnea index was 30 ± 17 at 16°C room temperature, 28 ± 17 at 20°C, and 24 ± 18 at 24°C. The obstructive apnea-hypopnea index was higher at 16°C room temperature versus 24°C (P = 0.001) and at 20°C room temperature versus 24°C (P = 0.033). Total sleep time was a mean of 30 min longer (P = 0.009), mean sleep efficiency was higher (77 ± 11% versus 71 ± 13% respectively, P = 0.012), and the patients were significantly more alert according to the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (P < 0.028) in the morning at 16°C room temperature versus 24°C. The amount of sleep in different sleep stages was not affected by room temperature.

Conclusions: Untreated patients with obstructive sleep apnea sleep longer, have better sleep efficiency, and are more alert in the morning after a night's sleep at 16°C room temperature compared with 24°C, but obstructive sleep apnea is more severe at 16°C and 20°C compared with 24°C.

Clinical trial information: This study is registered in ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT00544752.

Keywords: Sleep apnea syndromes; ambient temperature; daytime sleepiness; polysomnography; randomized controlled trial; sleep quality; sleep stages; sleep time; treatment.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Mean obstructive apnea-hypopnea index at 16, 20, and 24°C (95% CI).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mean total sleep time at 16, 20, and 24°C (95% CI).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Mean Karolinska Sleepiness Scale at 16, 20, and 24°C (95% CI).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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