Role of sleep disturbances in occupational accidents among women by Hägg SA, Torén K, Lindberg E In this population-based cohort study among women, the importance of insomnia symptoms for occupational accident risk is clarified. Insomnia symptoms that were persistent over ten years was an independent risk factor for overall work accident risk but not for more severe accidents requiring sick leave. Original article Scand J Work Environ Health. 2015;41(4):368-376. doi:10.5271/sjweh.3495 Role of sleep disturbances in occupational accidents among women Objectives This population-based cohort study was performed to assess the association between sleep disturbances and the risk of occupational accidents among women. AffiliationMethods Data were collected by questionnaires on two different occasions (2000 and 2010) and data on work injuries were also collected from Swedish government records (ISA). Insomnia symptoms were defined as having severe or very severe problems with (i) difficulty initiating sleep, (ii) difficulty maintaining sleep, or (iii) early morning awakening. Symptom of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) was defined as reporting both snoring and daytime sleepiness. Working-age respondents (20-67 years of age) who responded to both baseline and follow-up questionnaires and had worked for part or all of the 10-year follow-up period (N=4320) were included in the study. ResultsOf the subjects responding to the questionnaire, 12.2% reported ≥1 accident and 6.3% reported an accident requiring sick leave in the government register. Blue-collar workers and night and shift work were more common in the group with occupational accidents. Subjects with insomnia symptoms both at baseline and follow-up (persistent insomnia symptoms) ran a higher risk of being involved in an self-reported occupational accident [adjusted OR (OR adj ) 1.5, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.2-2.0] after adjusting for age, body mass index, smoking, alcohol dependency, white-or blue-collar worker, years at work, night work, and physical activity. Persistent insomnia symptoms did not reach statistical significance as an independent predictor of register-reported occupational accident with sick leave (OR adj 1.4, 95% CI 0.99-2.1). No significant association was found between symptoms of OSAS and self-reported or register-based occupational accidents.Conclusions Persistent insomnia symptoms were associated with an increased risk of self-reported occupational accidents, while no significant association was found with occupational accidents with sick leave reported to government register.

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IntroductionThe study aim was to examine the association of snoring and nocturnal gastro-oesophageal reflux (nGOR) with respiratory symptoms and lung function, and if snoring and/or nGOR associated with a steeper decline in lung function.MethodsData from the third visit of the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) was used for cross-sectional analysis. Pre- and post-bronchodilator spirometry was performed, and information on sleep, nGOR and respiratory symptoms was collected (n=5715). Habitual snoring and nGOR were assessed by questionnaire reports. Pre-bronchodilator spirometry from ECRHS I, II and III (20 years follow-up) were used to analyse lung function changes by multivariate regression analysis.ResultsSnoring and nGOR were independently associated with a higher prevalence of wheeze, chest tightness, breathlessness, cough and phlegm. The prevalence of any respiratory symptom was 79% in subjects with both snoring and nGOR versus 56% in those with neither (p<0.001). Subjects with both snoring and nGOR had more frequent exacerbations (adjusted prevalence 32% versus 19% among “no snoring, no nGOR”, p=0.003). Snoring but not nGOR was associated with a steeper decline in forced expiratory volume in 1 s over 10 years after adjusting for confounding factors (change in % predicted −5.53, versus −4.58 among “no snoring”, p=0.04) and forced vital capacity (change in % predicted −1.94, versus −0.99 among “no snoring”, p=0.03).ConclusionsAdults reporting both habitual snoring and nGOR had more respiratory symptoms and more frequent exacerbations of these symptoms. Habitual snoring was associated with a steeper decline in lung function over time.

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