Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
Abstract Introduction Sleep plays an important role in the prevention and development of several chronic diseases. However, there are significant differences between female and male sleep characteristics, some of which can be lifelong. Thus, the objective of this study was to analyze, according to sex, the polysomnographic findings of adults and older adults who participated in 2 editions (2007 and 2015) of EPISONO, an ongoing Brazilian, population-based sleep study. Methods The baseline randomized sample included 1,042 volunteers in 2007, of these 688 were reassessed in 2015. There were 574 women and 468 men in 2007, and 380 women and 308 men in 2015. All examinations and tests were undertaken using the same protocols at both times. All participants completed an institutional questionnaire to collect socioeconomic data, and a range of other questionnaires on health and sleep parameters, and underwent full-night polysomnography (PSG) and peripheral blood collection for biochemical and hematological measurements. In both editions (2007 and 2015) physical and anthropometric assessments were made. The exclusion criteria were: pregnant and nursing women, individuals with self-care limitations (physical or mental), and shift workers. Results We observed that adult (p=0.003) and older adult women(p=0.001) spent more time in N3 than men, with a greater number of awakenings (p=0.001), and an increased periodic leg movement index in older adult women (0.012), but only adult women in the follow-up presented greater sleep efficiency (p=0.047). Men (adults and older adults) remained longer in N1 and adult men (p=0.001) had a higher apnea-hypopnea index (p=0.001). Conclusion This study prospectively evaluated with full-night PSG the sleep of the general population and reported significant findings according to sex and age, suggesting that some aspects of sleep change differ with age and according to sex. Support (if any) acknowledgments: This work was supported by grants from the Associação Fundo de Incentivo à Pesquisa (AFIP), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPQ) and and São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP, #20/13467-8 to MLA)
Silva et al. (Sat,) studied this question.