A study on UK and US economy found that employees should be screened for obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) as they may be unsafe in the workplace, seeing as it could leave workers excessively tired
Employers should start testing workers for whether they snore, experts have suggested.
A screening programme for obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) could be trialled for roles where daytime sleepiness carries more risks, such as driving. It comes as analysis estimated that the common sleep condition could be causing an annual productivity loss of up to £4.2billion in the UK.
OSA affects about eight million Brits where the walls of the throat relax and narrow or close while sleeping. Symptoms include choking noises, loud snoring and waking up a lot. Those with the condition may feel very tired during the day, as well as having mood swings and trouble concentrating.
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The study, by experts in the UK and US, highlighted an estimated 85% of OSA patients in Britain are undiagnosed, posing risks for workers such as train drivers or those using heavy equipment.
Author Professor Matt Lechner, of University College London, said: “Given the significant yet often-overlooked burden of OSA syndrome and its economic impact, we urge policymakers to allocate resources towards developing an effective screening strategy and implementing targeted public health campaigns and policies.”
The research team explored the impact of OSA on the economies of the UK and US using data from the 2021 census. Economic losses among working-age adults were calculated by analysing how much they had missed work or were less productive at work.
Some 7% of working-age people included in the UK data met the criteria for OSA, with estimated productivity losses of up to £4.22billion, or £1,840 per worker every year. They said early identification and treatment of the condition could lead to “substantial savings”.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence already recommended that people who are drivers, train drivers, pilots and surgeons should be rapidly assessed for OSA. The study said that there is “limited data about occupational consequences of OSA” in these roles.
The first-line treatment for OSA is continuous positive airway pressure (Cpap) machines, which involve patients wearing a mask that blows pressurised air into the nose and throat while they sleep. However they can be uncomfortable. The weight loss injection Mounjaro was recently approved in the US as a treatment for OSA.
Prof Lechner added: “Sleep apnoea can now be easily identified and recently described tools can identify high-risk occupations. Importantly, treatment options for individuals with OSA are also improving. We suggest the time is now approaching for a trial of workplace screening in an exemplar high-risk occupational group.
“The way to test whether workplace screening would be a worthwhile strategy would be to select an occupation in which OSA is prevalent and has severe consequences, such as professional driving, and see whether relevant outcomes such as road traffic accidents and absenteeism are clinically and statistically significantly different in a screened group compared with a standard care group.”
The research team said there was a danger that some workers may fear being penalised and suggest any successful screening programme should offer some form of employment guarantee.
A spokesman for the Sleep Apnoea Trust said: “It is very important that workplaces support their employees by not penalising them if they come forward, and that employers make the necessary adjustments while employees go through the process of clinical diagnosis and treatment.”
