Association between excessive daytime sleepiness and measures of supraventricular arrhythmia burden: evidence from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study

Purpose: Excessive daytime sleepiness is a common sleep complaint among older adults. Assessment of excessive daytime sleepiness is used to screen for obstructive sleep apnea, which may be linked to atrial fibrillation (AF) and other sustained arrhythmias. Using data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study cohort, we examined the association of excessive daytime sleepiness with measures of arrhythmia burden derived from a continuous ECG recording device in a community-based sample of older adults. Methods: Participating older adults (N = 2306, mean age: 78.9 ± 4.5 years, 57.8% female) wore a Zio® XT Patch for 14 days. Excessive daytime sleepiness was assessed with the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Measures of AF and supraventricular arrhythmia burden were derived from the Zio® XT Patch. Multiple adjusted logistic, multinomial, and linear regression models were used to assess associations of excessive daytime sleepiness with AF, AF burden, and supraventricular arrhythmia burden. Results: Approximately 18% of the sample had excessive daytime sleepiness, and 8.5% had AF. After adjustment, excessive daytime sleepiness was not significantly associated with AF (odds ratio (OR), 1.20; Confidence Interval (CI), 0.81–1.75), continuous AF burden (OR, 1.36; CI, 0.85–2.16), or measures of supraventricular arrhythmia burden (SVE burden: β 0.01; 95% CI, −0.09−0.11; SVT burden: β 0.02; 95% CI, −0.04−0.08). Conclusion: In this community-based sample of older adults, excessive daytime sleepiness was not associated with measures of arrhythmia burden. Future studies with objective measures of sleep are needed to further examine the role of sleep in the development and progression of arrhythmia burden.