New Global Survey Finds More Sleep Problems but Less CPAP Use During COVID-19 Pandemic

By Admin

A new survey conducted by health technology company Philips Respironics highlights an alarming discrepancy between rising sleep-related health problems and significant drops in the use of CPAP to treat sleep apnea, one of the most common sleep disorders in the world. The survey, titled “Seeking Solutions: How COVID-19 Changed Sleep Around the World,” is the sixth annual Global Sleep Survey sponsored by the Royal Philips company. Part of an ongoing international health-education campaign, the Global Sleep Survey was conducted in anticipation of World Sleep Day, celebrated on March19 of this year. Some of the survey’s results included an 18-percent drop in CPAP use from the previous year (36 percent in 2020 to 18 percent in 2021), a slight increase in the number of patients who hadn’t begun to use a CPAP device they were prescribed (from 10 percent in 2020 to 16 percent in 2021), and a high number (57 percent) of individuals who were diagnosed with sleep apnea but had never been prescribed CPAP as a treatment. Among those who stopped using their CPAP, 72 percent cited COVID-19 related reasons for their non-adherence. In fact, over two thirds of the survey respondents (70 percent) reported at least one new sleep challenge since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. While these results can be discouraging, they emphasize trends that have been apparent for some time.

COVID-19 has affected nearly every aspect of our lives, and sleep is heavily influenced by daily events, stress, and overall mental health. But it is also important to keep in mind that pandemics are not permanent global conditions. Some of the survey questions were focused more on the long-term goals of increasing access to quality, equitable healthcare throughout the world. In the area of new health technologies, for example, respondents were much more optimistic. Over half (58 percent) reported a willingness to use telehealth systems for sleep-related issues, an important focus area for Philips Respironics, as their connected-care telehealth platform supports patients in both clinical and home-care settings, providing real-time access to much-needed services during a pandemic. As the COVID-19 crisis begins to ebb toward a new sense of normalcy, it is the hope of sleep specialists like Philips that health technologies, along with increases in public awareness and health education, will help facilitate a new sense of urgency on sleep health and sleep disorders.

The Global Sleep Survey (released March 10)

The 2021 Global Sleep Survey was conducted online by evidence-based consulting firm KJT Group, Inc. during November and December of 2020. The survey contacted 13,000 adult respondents in 13 countries throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States. Sponsored by Royal Philips, the parent company of CPAP manufacturing giant Philips Respironics, the annual Global Sleep Survey focuses on beliefs, perceptions, and behaviors around sleep and sleep health. Due to the global effects of the novel coronavirus on health, stress, and sleep, this year’s survey was focused on the extent of those changes, who was affected, and how. Out of the 13,000 respondents, well over half (60 percent) claimed that the pandemic had a direct negative impact on their sleep. As this was a randomized sample of adult populations, the results reveal just how prevalent COVID-19 related sleep problems have become.

This year’s Global Sleep Survey also focused on sleep apnea for several reasons. As the survey itself revealed, sleep apnea patients have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, resulting in further health problems for those left untreated or undertreated for the condition. In some cases, patients with the sleep apnea were more likely to become sick with progressive COVID-19 symptoms once infected, and were far more likely to survive if they used CPAP. The survey was designed not only to assess the perceived drop in CPAP use during the last year, but also to probe some of the reasons for the drop at such a critical time. Among those who stopped using CPAP for COVID-19 related reasons, 55 percent cited financial difficulties and 44 percent mentioned problems with access to devices or supplies. As a result of these findings, Philips concluded that the COVID-19 pandemic has been a significant barrier to proper treatment adherence.

This year’s survey also focused on technological advances in the area of healthcare and health education. On a global scale, the results presented a general tendency to use more technological resources for health-related concerns. Over a third of respondents (34 percent) reported using online searches to learn more about sleep-related issues, while a large percentage (58 percent) showed a willingness to use telehealth applications to access professional health services, though many believed it was still difficult to do so. Part of the challenge of establishing a telehealth infrastructure is the outreach necessary for widescale adoption of the services, and Philips considers this part of the current mission. According to Teofilo Lee-Chiong, M.D., Chief Medical Liaison for Sleep and Respiratory Care at Philips, “The tools required to deliver telehealth efficiently and reliably already exist, and the interest from consumers is apparent, particularly in the face of COVID-19.” Following this statement in a recent press release, Dr. Lee-Chiong describes the development of telehealth systems as a response to changing public health needs, but like the effort to combat COVID-19, the adoption of telehealth requires public knowledge about telehealth options and how they can be accessed. Large-scale adoption of a technology or technological service does not happen overnight, but the pandemic has greatly increased the demand for remote options, and this survey has accentuated that fact against a backdrop of rising sleep debt and sleep difficulties.

World Sleep Day

The Philips Global Sleep Survey is conducted in March to coincide with World Sleep Day, a development of the World Sleep Society (WSS). The slogan for this year’s World Sleep Day is “Regular Sleep, Healthy Future,” in part a reference to the affects of the pandemic and the challenges of keeping a regular sleep routine to support a healthy lifestyle. The WSS also organizes the World Sleep Congress, which meets every other year with representatives from many countries throughout the world. World Sleep Day is a time for sleep organizations to collaborate on sleep-related issues with a global scope, seeking to improve sleep health worldwide.

For more information about World Sleep Day or the Philips Global Sleep Survey, visit the USAPhilips.com website at the following link: World Sleep Day 2021.