Graduate student publishes research on obstructive sleep apnea

By Raquel Gonzales
University News Service
January 30, 2014

Mazen Munaji Homoud, a graduate student in the Interdisciplinary Studies Program at Texas State, has published a research study conducted on sleep apnea.

Homoud’s study, titled “The Correlation Between Sleep Efficiency and the Risk of Obstructive Sleep Apnea,” identifies the relationship between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and sleep efficiency. It was published in Volume 12 Issue 1 of the Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice, which is a peer reviewed publication of the College of Health Care Sciences at Nova Southeastern University.

Although the results of the study showed no significant relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and sleep efficiency, Homoud discovered a positive, significant relationship between age and sleep efficiency.

The study used a total of 18 participants from the College of Health Professions at Texas State, 12 women and six men. First, each participant was to complete a sleep apnea questionnaire. Then, the participants wore an actigraphy watch for one week, and the results of their questionnaires were compared to their results of the actigraphy.

The results of the study showed no significant relationship between the risk of obstructive sleep apnea and sleep efficiency. However there were limitations due to time, since Homoud was limited to four months for the study and four watches broke down throughout the study. Homoud’s recommendations for a more accurate study was to include more participants, address the use of sleep medication and alcohol consumption, use alternative questionnaires or more advanced forms of actigraphy, and conduct a full night sleep study in a sleep lab.