Clin. Qs

• In adults using sound to help sleep, does continuous brown noise compared with white noise improve sleep onset, sleep continuity, sleep architecture, or perceived sleep quality?

  Clinical Answer: No evidence shows brown noise is better than white noise for sleep. No published trial compares them head to head, and brown noise has not been studied directly. Evidence for any continuous broadband noise as a sleep aid is very low quality, and...

• In adults being evaluated for a sleep disorder, how does data from a consumer smart ring compare with laboratory polysomnography for accuracy in sleep staging and detection of sleep-disordered breathing?

  Clinical answer: Smart rings are reasonably accurate for basic sleep-wake detection, total sleep time, and sleep efficiency, but they are not accurate enough to diagnose sleep disorders on their own (SOR B). Two-stage sleep-wake detection from rings like Oura approaches near-perfect agreement with PSG. Four-stage...

• In adults, does untreated obstructive sleep apnea, compared with no OSA, increase the risk of atrial fibrillation?

  Clnical answer: Yes. Untreated OSA is an independent risk factor for AF, and the evidence base is now stronger and more mechanistic than a simple association. The American Heart Association states OSA is an independent AF risk factor even without other cardiac disease, though a...

• In adults sleeping with a bed partner, does partner snoring versus a non-snoring partner disrupt the non-snoring partner’s sleep quality?

  Clinical Answer: Yes. A snoring bed partner disrupts sleep more than a non-snoring partner, based on consistent findings across polysomnography and subjective sleep reports. Source Of Recommendation: B (inconsistent or limited-quality patient-oriented evidence). Evidence used: Objective polysomnography from a small crossover study of 10 couples...

• In adolescents who use digital screens in the evening, does wearing blue light blocking glasses, compared to not wearing them, reduce insomnia symptoms or improve sleep?

  Clincial Answer: The evidence does not support blue light blocking glasses alone as an effective treatment to prevent or reduce insomnia in adolescents. Small trials show the glasses blunt screen induced melatonin suppression and can modestly advance sleep timing, and the one larger, well conducted...