Survey Says - People Don’t Know Enough About Sleep Apnea

By Admin

According to a recent survey conducted by the health technology company Itamar Medical, an average of nearly 90 percent of Americans believe they are familiar with sleep apnea, but are unable to answer rudimentary questions about the disorder’s effects, diagnosis, or treatment. For many of the survey’s respondents, sleep apnea is simply an occasional halting of breathing during sleep, requiring extensive procedures to diagnose and treat. Many seem unaware of new and convenient types of at-home tests and comfort features for high-efficiency CPAP devices. Some of the reasons the respondents gave for avoiding a sleep apnea test were cost, inconvenience, and concerns about contracting COVID-19, but a majority stated that they would use a home-based test if one was available. In contradiction, nearly a third of the respondents admitted outright that they would not seek treatment if they tested positive for the disorder, even after learning about the severity of its effects over time. This lack of awareness, along with a tendency to disregard health concerns related to sleep apnea, highlights the need for more outreach and public education on sleep health issues. Concerned with rising sleep apnea rates throughout the world, Itamar Medical, a company that specializes in diagnostic equipment, hopes the results of this survey will help guide and inform more targeted outreach and education campaigns to promote better sleep health awareness. With a focus on sleep disorder testing and available treatments, this survey is part of a larger effort to provide effective non-invasive medical solutions.

The Survey

Conducted in November 2020, the survey on sleep apnea awareness was carried out using Google Consumer Surveys and based on a representative sample of over a thousand respondents from the United States, aged 18 and above. Itamar Medical Ltd., the company that commissioned the survey, specializes in the development and commercialization of devices and technologies used to diagnose sleep-related breathing disorders. But as a public company focused on health products and services, Itamar Medical’s focus is broad, emphasizing core sleep, cardiology, and direct to consumer markets. The Company’s key product, WatchPAT, is a digital healthcare platform that helps facilitate the continuum of care for effective sleep apnea management.

For additional information visit www.itamar-medical.com

The Survey Results

The survey questions covered several areas of knowledge about sleep apnea, including its effects, treatment, and diagnostics. In regard to the effects of the disorder, one of the primary areas of concern was the lack of knowledge about the dangers of remaining untreated. Many respondents did not know about the relationship between sleep apnea and other comorbid health conditions. In fact, a third of respondents were unaware that treating sleep apnea can significantly reduce health risks related to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke, and other illnesses. Respondents did not seem to recognize the seriousness of the disorder or how it related to health in general. Even though a large majority believed they were familiar with the disorder, they were unfamiliar with its many associations to serious health problems.

There also appeared to be a lack of awareness regarding the signs and symptoms of sleep apnea. For example, about a quarter of those those who took the survey were either unaware that snoring could be a sign of a something more serious, or did not believe it to be true. Since snoring is one of the most prevalent signs of sleep apnea, this lack of awareness, even for a quarter of respondents, underscores the need for further education on sleep health end sleep disorders.

In the area of sleep testing and diagnostics, the data showed that people would more often prefer an at-home test, but in many cases did not know they existed, or how reliable they would would be. There seemed to be a contradiction in the data between a preference for at-home options and a general distrust of wearable technologies. Roughly 23 percent of respondents suggested that they would think twice before seeking medical help for a sleep problem, while 28 percent showed reluctance even in the case of a clear diagnosis. This discrepancy emphasizes a need not just for public education, but for a change of public opinion on the technological accuracy of health products and services. While the survey results showed, on one hand, the popularity of wearable technologies, health apps, and at-home treatments, on the other hand, a large number of respondents appeared reluctant to take their results seriously enough to seek further tests or treatments. In total, 33 percent of respondents indicated having used a wearable device or an app for a sleep-related issue, but a low percentage of that group, only 41 percent, took the results seriously enough to pursue the issue further.

The Takeaway

In general, analysis of this survey data suggests that there is a lack of understanding about sleep apnea and sleep health in general, especially in regard to the long-term effects of sleep disorders. According to Gilad Glick, CEO of Itamar Medical. This is unfortunately not all that surprising. In Glick’s words, the survey results “exemplify the need to educate and spread awareness of the serious and life-threatening implications of undiagnosed sleep apnea.” And though people are benefitting from the convenience of sleep health technologies, it is not enough simply to use those tools as an alternative to complete care. Long-term, optimal care is needed to keep this widespread disorder from increasing the risks of more serious and debilitating health conditions, as well as the daily effects of the disorder on sleep health and quality of life. Sleep apnea effects an estimated 22 million people in the U.S. alone, and roughly 80 percent of sufferers remain undiagnosed or untreated, largely due to the lack of awareness.

While the results of this survey may not be surprising, they are important reminders of the need for public education on health related issues, especially during a global pandemic that has taken over 2 million lives. Treatments like CPAP can save lives, but as this survey shows, not enough people understand how untreated sleep apnea can affect the body and mind over time. Increasing public awareness of sleep apnea and other sleep-related breathing disorders can potentially increase diagnosis and treatment rates as well, an important and life-saving achievement that is long overdue.