Skip to main content

Main menu

  • About Us
    • Leadership
    • Our Team
    • Vision, Mission and Values
    • Health and Economic Impact
    • Research Impact Video
    • Strategic Plan
  • Our Research
    • Research Focus
      • Brain Health
      • Cancer
      • Digital Health and Artificial Intelligence
      • Heart Health
      • Healthy Aging and Mobility
      • Immune System
      • Injury and Rehabilitation
      • Lung Health
      • Mental Health and Substance Use
    • Research Centres and Programs
      • BC Centre on Substance Use
      • Centre for Aging SMART
      • Centre for Cardiovascular Innovation
      • Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Evaluation
      • Centre for Lung Health
      • Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health
      • Immunity and Infection Research Centre
      • International Collaboration On Repair Discoveries
      • M. H. Mohseni Institute of Urologic Sciences
      • Ovarian Cancer Research Centre
      • Community Research Program
      • Emergency Medicine Research Program
      • Hematology Research Program
      • Skin Research Program
      • Other Research Focus Areas
    • News and Stories
    • Researcher Directory
    • Events and Workshops
  • Research Services
    • New to VCHRI
      • Working at VCHRI
      • Regulations and Training
      • Membership with VCHRI
      • Learning and Development
    • Starting Your Project
      • Research Facilitation
      • Awards and Funding
      • Grant Management
      • Operational Approval
      • CST Cerner
    • Developing Your Project
      • Clinical Trials Administration
      • Clinical Research Unit
      • Research Privacy
      • Financial Policies and Procedures
    • Additional Support
      • Indigenous Health Research Unit
      • VCH-VCHRI AI Hub
      • Communications and Media Relations
      • Study Recruitment Support
      • Innovation and Industry Partnership
    • Internal Awards
    • Clinical Research
    • Indigenous Research
  • Participate in Research
    • Reasons to Participate
    • Participant Stories
    • Find a Study
    • Recruitment Support

User menu

  • Log in

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Our Research
  3. News and Stories
  4. People with untreated sleep apnea twice as likely to be injured on the job

People with untreated sleep apnea twice as likely to be injured on the job

Stories Apr 16, 2016 3 minutes

Sleep apnea is under-investigated and under-diagnosed.

The health benefits gained from a good night’s sleep now include a reduced risk of injury on the job. A recently published study in Thorax comparing individuals with diagnosed sleep apnea and a control group who tested negative for the sleep disorder showed that individuals with untreated sleep apnea were twice as likely to get hurt at work.

“This is just another example of a health outcome that’s negatively associated with sleep apnea,” says lead author AJ Hirsch Allen, a PhD candidate in the Experimental Medicine Program in the Department of Medicine at the University of British Columbia. 

“While much previous research focused on the long-term consequences of sleep disorders, this study demonstrates the significance of the short-term consequences of sleep apnea, suggesting that people should be tested if they have any inclination that they may have the disorder.”

The study, which looked at 1,236 patients who had been referred for treatment for sleep apnea at UBC’s Hospital Sleep Disorder Laboratory, is the only study of its size to use gold standard, objective criteria for identifying sleep apnea and workplace injuries.

“Relying on self-reporting can be quite inaccurate,” explains study co-author and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute scientist Dr. Najib Ayas. “We took our database of patients at the sleep clinic at UBC and we looked back to see how many of them had occupational injuries in the five years prior to when they presented for their sleep study.”

The researchers used polysomnography – a sleep study completed in their lab – to assess and diagnose sleep apnea and looked at claims databases from the Workers’ Compensation Board of BC to identify workplace injuries that their patients may have experienced. 

Almost 10 per cent of people with sleep apnea had filed a claim reporting an injury, while only 5.4 per cent of those in the general workforce.

“Also, we believe that from an economic perspective, public funding to treat sleep apnea would be cost effective, given the expensive health consequences of untreated disease.”

Determining if sleep apnea is a problem is problematic in and of itself

Exacerbating the risk to workers and organizations is the 80 to 90 per cent of people with sleep apnea who are undiagnosed, estimates Hirsch Allen.

“Many people don’t think they have sleep apnea when they actually do, and more people need to be tested,” he says. 

“Unfortunately, people aren’t that good at subjectively identifying if they’re sleepy because it becomes commonplace for them,” says Hirsch Allen. 

“Studies have shown that people with acute sleep deprivation can accurately self-identify as sleepy, however, those with more chronic sleep deprivation have more difficulty identifying the degree to which they are cognitively and physically impaired,” he says. “Their objective performance, e.g. driving or working, decreases dramatically for a long period of time even though they may only feel like it decreases for the first few days.”

Hirsh Allen encourages partners, as well as family physicians, of individuals who may have the sleep disorder, to be pro-active in getting their partner or patient tested for sleep apnea.

“Sleep in general is a big topic right now,” he says. “We’re only just starting to understand the public health implications of sleep disorders and sleep apnea in particular.”

Researchers

Najib Ayas

Related Articles

New solution to treat obstructive sleep apnea

Ask an expert: How does fatigue affect my ability to drive?

Brain drain: The connection between poor sleep and mild cognitive impairment

Share:

  • Facebook
  • Linkedin
  • Twitter
  • Email

Get the latest research headlines in your inbox

Subscribe

Recent News and Stories

Type
Announcement

Celebrating the life and distinguished career of Dr. Marcel Dvorak

May 14, 2025
Type
Stories

More equitable representation needed in Parkinson’s research

May 9, 2025 parkinsons, patient engagement, women
Type
Stories

Gamified stroke recovery improves arm function

May 8, 2025 stroke, rehabilitation
See more news

Get updates!

Join our newsletter mailing list to stay up to date on features and releases.

Subscribe

Quick Links

  • News and Stories
  • Careers
  • Events
  • Media Enquiries

Follow Us

  • LinkedIn
  • X
  • YouTube

© 2025 VCHRI. All rights reserved.

  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy