Colorado Veterans with Daytime Sleepiness, Take Note

A report on Healio.com tells of a study which found that as veterans age, their odds of dying increases in parallel with a rising score on the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). The study results were presented at the American Thoracic Society International Conference. The study involved evaluating close to 560,000 adults with a mean age of 55 in the Veterans Health Administration from 1999 to 2022. Nine out of 10 study subjects were men. Subjects were chosen who had polysomnography data (a type of sleep study) or home sleep apnea visits to find out the relationship between excessive daytime sleepiness and all-cause mortality. Researchers determined the presence of excessive daytime sleepiness through ESS scores, where higher scores indicate more daytime sleepiness. As the ages of subjects went up, so did the odds for mortality with a high ESS score. Researchers said the results emphasize the importance of recognizing and addressing excessive daytime sleepiness, particularly among elderly veterans, because it may serve as a valuable marker for predicting mortality. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs says Colorado is home to about 400,000 veterans with roughly 43 percent being age 65 and older.