Screening for Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Veterans Seeking Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

Disrupted sleep is an often intractable symptom of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); however, non-PTSD-related causes of disrupted sleep are rarely considered in clinical practice. Study objectives were to determine obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) risk among veterans seeking PTSD treatment and to investigate the relationship between OSA risk and PTSD symptom severity. Veterans (N = 264; 25.8% female) completed measures of PTSD symptoms and OSA risk factors. The rate of OSA risk was 72.7% for the whole sample, 77.2% among men, and 59.7% among women. OSA risk was not significantly correlated with PTSD symptom severity. Detection and treatment of OSA in veterans with PTSD may result in decreased insomnia in affected individuals.