Latest news with #DannyEckert
SBS Australia
6 hours ago
- Health
- SBS Australia
Feeling depressed or out of sorts after the weekend? You could have 'social apnoea'
It's common to feel tired and apprehensive on a Monday morning, and that can be especially true after a big weekend. New research has mapped how people's quality of sleep changes throughout the week, and has found patterns between fatigue and behaviour. It's estimated around one billion people worldwide have obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), a condition that impacts their quality of sleep. Australian researchers have found this underlying condition is more prevalent on weekends than on weekdays, and they have labelled this phenomenon — 'social apnoea'. It can affect anyone, even if you don't typically show symptoms of OSA during the week. So why is that the case? 'Social jet lag' Professor Danny Eckert, a sleep health expert from Flinders University, was one of the lead researchers in the study that was published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. He described social apnoea as a kind of "social jet lag", a feeling that can arise after the weekend, when our behaviours often differ from those on weekdays. "We know that people who smoke tend to smoke more on the weekend. We know that people who drink tend to drink more on the weekend," he told SBS News. "They are two sort of lifestyles or social factors if you like, that are very influential in the way we sleep and breathe." Eckert said another key change in weekend behaviour is that our sleep patterns often change, which can cause problems with our sleep quality and overall mood. People who sleep in on weekends were found to have a 50 per cent higher risk of developing a sleep disorder, according to the study. "Our circadian rhythm, or our body clock, is slow to move; it takes several days to adjust," he said. "So if we suddenly change our sleep timing, and we've all experienced this at different times with jet lag and these kinds of things, we're sleeping out of whack from what our body wants us to." What are the long-term effects? Weekend surge in sleep-disordered breathing may heighten the risk of serious health conditions, according to the research. This includes heart disease, depression, dementia, and extreme fatigue. The research found people under 60 and males were two groups more likely to suffer from social apnoea. While the exact reason is unclear, Eckert said it's likely due to behavioural factors. "We know that men tend to be drinking more alcohol than women and perhaps they're having later nights and going to sleep after women," he said. "We also know that men get sleep apnoea more, so they are more prone to 'social apnoea' in the first place." Eckert said beyond seeking clinical treatment for sleep apnoea, there are some lifestyle changes you can make to combat social apnoea. In particular, going to bed and waking up at consistent times can help establish a healthier sleep pattern. "If people are feeling tired during the day, having some trouble staying asleep, or maybe they are waking up with morning headaches, maybe they're being told that they snore loudly; these are all warning signs that you may have sleep apnoea, and it's worth having a conversation with your GP."
The Age
3 days ago
- Health
- The Age
Sleeping in on the weekend? You could be triggering ‘social apnoea'
If you're struggling to get through the Monday slump, 'social apnoea' may be to blame. Published on Wednesday in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, an Australian-led team of researchers analysed global data from more than 70,000 people, finding a significant and consistent increase in obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) on weekends. What is obstructive sleep apnoea? Obstructive sleep apnoea is a sleep disorder in which airways are partially or completely blocked during sleep. The condition is associated with higher all-cause mortality, and if left untreated, increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, cognitive impairment and motor vehicle crashes. Common symptoms include daytime sleepiness, loud snoring and pauses in breathing during sleep that others may notice. What did this new study find? Professor Danny Eckert, director of Flinders' Health and Medical Research Sleep Health Centre and senior author on the paper, says the research was significant for its scale. Most clinical diagnoses of sleep apnoea are based on only a single night's data, usually collected on a weekday. By collecting data from participants with an under-mattress tracker, they were 'able to measure people over multiple nights, and in this case, on average using about one year's worth of data', Eckert says.
9 News
3 days ago
- Health
- 9 News
What you do on the weekend could be ruining your sleep, experts reveal
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here Everyday Australians living with a newly-identified sleep health concern could have no idea they're suffering from it. Research from Flinders University has revealed that the severity of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), a common condition caused by repeated airway collapse during sleep, increases significantly on weekends. This phenomenon may be linked to late nights, sleeping in, alcohol and smoking on weekends, leading FHMRI Sleep Health experts to dub it 'social apnea'. Sleeping man disturbed by alarm clock early in the morning (Getty) Sleeping for an extra 45 minutes or more on weekends can almost double the risk of worse OSA, and adults under 60 had a 24 per cent higher risk of OSA on weekends. Men were also more likely to be affected. Experts warned this 'social apnea' could increase the risk of serious health conditions like heart disease, depression, dementia and extreme fatigue. It could also contribute to motor vehicle and other accidents. But diagnosing social apnea through current sleep study methods may prove difficult. "Most clinical diagnostic testing is done on a single night, typically a weeknight, missing the weekend effect we're now calling social apnea," lead author and Research Fellow Dr Lucia Pinilla said in a statement. Flinders professor and director of FHMRI Sleep Health Danny Eckert said this highlights the need for multi-night sleep assessments. "Relying on a single-night sleep study may miss important variations, leading to underdiagnosis or misclassification of OSA severity," he said. Lead author and Research Fellow Dr Lucia Pinilla with Flinders professor and director of FHMRI Sleep Health Danny Eckert. (Flinders University) Australians can reduce their risk of 'social apnea' by maintaining a regular sleep routine even (or perhaps especially) on weekends. That means going to be when you feel sleepy, getting the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep each night, and waking up at about the same time each day. OSA already affectes about one billion people globally and, if left untreated, can lead to death. CONTACT US
Sydney Morning Herald
4 days ago
- Health
- Sydney Morning Herald
Sleeping in on the weekend? You could be triggering ‘social apnoea'
If you're struggling to get through the Monday slump, 'social apnoea' may be to blame. Published Wednesday in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, an Australian-led team of researchers analysed global data from more than 70,000 people, finding a significant and consistent increase in obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) on weekends. What is obstructive sleep apnoea? Obstructive sleep apnoea is a sleep disorder in which airways are partially or completely blocked during sleep. The condition is associated with higher all-cause mortality, and if left untreated, increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, cognitive impairment and motor vehicle crashes. Common symptoms include daytime sleepiness, loud snoring and pauses in breathing during sleep others may notice. What did this new study find? Professor Danny Eckert, director of Flinders' Health and Medical Research Sleep Health Centre and senior author on the paper, says the research was significant for its scale. Most clinical diagnoses of sleep apnoea are based on only a single night's data, usually collected on a weekday. By collecting data from participants with an under-mattress tracker, they were 'able to measure people over multiple nights, and in this case, on average using about one year's worth of data,' says Eckert.
ABC News
07-06-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Sleep becoming major health issue for Australians as insomnia and sleep apnoea on the rise
Four in every ten Australians aren't getting enough sleep, sparking fears that a lack of funding to treat the issue could see wider-ranging health problems become more prevalent. From brain, heart and metabolic function, to our immune system and growth, sleep is fundamental for our health and wellbeing. Director of Flinders University Adelaide Institute for Sleep, Professor Danny Eckert, said sleep issues were far more prevalent than is currently understood. "Inadequate sleep is affecting so many Australians, four out of ten in total," Professor Eckert told 7.30. "But in terms of clinical conditions: Insomnia, sleep apnoea, it's at least a couple of million people walking around with this condition right now, most of whom are undiagnosed and untreated." Just like smoking, alcoholism or obesity, sleep issues, he says, can take years off your life. "From your central nervous system to your immune, respiratory and cardiovascular systems, so your brain, your heart, they're all affected. "You name the condition, dementia, heart disease, diabetes — if you are sleeping poorly, you're not getting enough sleep, you've got disruptive sleep due to a sleep disorder, it is associated with increased risk of all of those conditions." The two most common clinical sleep disorders are insomnia and sleep apnoea, while for other people, things like shift work and lifestyle patterns are restricting their ability to get enough sleep. Professor Eckert said there were more risk factors emerging for worsening sleep problems. He said pressures on people's time and a busy 24-hour society were also chipping away at precious sleep time. "As housing becomes more expensive and people have to live further away from where they work, that's cutting into and causing people to have greater commuting time," he said. Regardless of the reason, long-term inadequate sleep comes with serious health impacts and can have a debilitating impact on quality of life. Brisbane father Hamish Sinclair-Ross had always been a good sleeper, even during his time doing shift work at central Queensland mines. So when he suddenly found himself unable to sleep, it came as a "bolt out of the blue". "At one point I just got into bed, and it didn't happen," he said. "It impacts your mental health, impacts you physically, hampers your day-to-day ability to do much, it's hard to concentrate." He now realises his sleep issues were due to stress, largely caused by the impacts of the COVID pandemic. His GP determined he wasn't clinically depressed, but he didn't "fit into the bucket" of long-term insomnia. She prescribed sleeping pills, which helped him get over his initial sleep issue. For a year-and-a-half, Hamish was on and off sleeping medication, finding that when he tried to wean himself off, he'd hit a wall and need to start taking them again. Professor Eckert said public awareness of the importance of sleep, and how to treat inadequate sleep, was lacking. "It's a major issue that people come to see their doctor with sleep problems. It's one of the most common reasons that they arrive at the doctor," Professor Eckert said. "And yet, our workforce is not appropriately trained overall." He said not only was there a lack of national awareness campaigns and guidelines around sleep, but there was a misconception that sleep was merely a luxury. "There is that message out there that it's somewhat heroic if you can get by or not very much sleep, that you are somehow stronger or better than other folks around you. "That's simply not true." A 2017 Deloitte Access Economics report found a lack of sleep was estimated to result in more than 3,000 deaths in 2016-17, with 394 of those from falling asleep at the wheel of a vehicle or from an industrial accident. A 2021 report commissioned by the Sleep Health Foundation found that almost 1,000 deaths were attributed to sleep disorders in 2019 due to increased risk of cardiovascular and metabolic conditions, mental health conditions and reduced mental health. While searching for an alternative to sleeping medication, Hamish found there was "nothing really accessible, and often it was really expensive." Then he stumbled across a program he could access online for cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia, or CBTi. CBTi teaches participants to identify thoughts and behaviours that cause sleep problems, and change them. For Mr Ross, that meant limiting caffeine, creating a screen-free bedtime routine and, perhaps counterintuitively, limiting sleep time to make sure he was tired when he hit the pillow. "I felt like I was empowered to take control," he said. "I've just never looked back, haven't had a problem since." CBTi is globally recognised as the first-line treatment for insomnia, but Dr Alexander Sweetman said only about one per cent of Australian adults with insomnia were currently accessing it. "There's this huge gap between what's recommended in the evidence-based guidelines and what happens in practice," Dr Sweetman said. Through his role with the Australasian Sleep Association, Dr Sweetman also trains clinicians including GPs and psychologists to recognise and assess insomnia and deliver CBTi. And he's lobbying the government to expand access to digital CBTi programs. In 2018, a federal parliamentary inquiry looked at sleep health awareness in Australia. In 2023, the federal government supported, or supported in-principle, all but one recommendation including making sleep health a national priority, a national sleep health awareness campaign, further funding for research and upskilling of health workers like doctors, nurses and psychotherapists. But peak bodies say they are yet to see significant action on any of the recommendations. In a statement, a Department of Health spokesperson said the government was committed to progressing sleep health policy, and would soon update the Australian Physical Activity Guidelines for Adults and Older Australians to incorporate evidence on sleep. The statement said the National Health and Medical Research Council provided more than $114 million towards sleep disorder research between 2015 and 2024, while the Medical Research Future Fund awarded $41 million towards 22 research projects relevant to sleep disorders. Watch 7.30, Mondays to Thursdays 7:30pm on ABC iview and ABC TV Do you know more about this story? Get in touch with 7.30 here.
