Pollution 'linked with sleep apnoea'
Scientists have announced they have discovered an association between pollution and sleep apnoea.
The finding suggests residents living in urban areas who have trouble getting to sleep at night may benefit from using oxygen equipment.
Harvard School of Public Health and Brigham and Women's Hospital researchers looked at data from the Sleep Heart Health Study.
The report examined the sleeping habits and heart condition of more than 6,000 individuals between 1995 and 1998.
These results were then compared with air pollution figures from the Environmental Protection Agency for seven cities.
Antonella Zabnobetti, the investigation's co-author, explained particles of pollution "may influence sleep through effects on the central nervous system, as well as the upper airways".
The findings have been published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
Investigators at John Hopkins Medical Institution and the National Eye Institution have previously noted the eyesight of diabetes patients could be improved with oxygen therapy.
Posted by Jenny Richards
02/07/2010 17:09:31
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