Overview

• Analysis of over 70,000 under-mattress sensor recordings revealed an 18% higher odds of moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnoea on Saturdays compared with Wednesdays.
• Weekend catch-up sleep of 45 minutes or more was associated with a 47% increase in OSA severity and social jetlag over 60 minutes corresponded to a 38% rise.
• Men experienced a 21% weekend spike in severity versus 9% in women, and adults under 60 had a 24% increase compared with 7% in those aged 60 and above.
• The phenomenon, dubbed “social apnoea,” highlights that single-night diagnostic tests conducted on weeknights may underestimate true variability in OSA.
• Researchers urge clinicians to adopt multi-night assessments and advise patients to keep consistent sleep schedules and therapy use to curb weekend risks.