The influence of habitual consumption of alcohol on the incidence of obstructive sleep apnea

Around 1 billion adults worldwide aged 30–69 have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), with 425 million experiencing moderate to severe forms. It is linked to serious health problems—such as heart disease, metabolic issues, brain impairment, and higher death risk—and also creates safety risks like accidents due to daytime sleepiness. The objective of a nationwide population-based cohort study in Korea was to determine the association between habitual alcohol consumption and the incidence of newly diagnosed obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
A total of 3,988,993 individuals (mean age, 54.5 years; male, 50.1%; mean body mass index [BMI], 24.0 kg/m²) were included, of whom 1,688,094 (42.3%) had habitual alcohol consumption. During a mean follow-up period of 9.7 years, 33,563 new cases of OSA were documented. Individuals with habitual alcohol consumption had an incidence rate of 108.9 per 100,000 person-years, whereas those without habitual alcohol consumption had a rate of 69.6 per 100,000 person-years. Following adjustment for covariates including age, sex, BMI, income, smoking status, physical activity, and the Charlson comorbidity index, the hazard ratio for incident OSA was 1.026 (95% confidence interval, 1.001–1.051). The association between habitual alcohol consumption and incident OSA was more prominent among males and those with underlying chronic kidney disease or a history of cancer.
This large-scale Korean population-based cohort study revealed that habitual alcohol consumption is associated with an increased incidence of OSA. This research underlines the importance of managing alcohol consumption as part of clinical interventions for preventing or managing obstructive sleep apnea. The study helps identify high-risk subgroups for targeted screening and interventions in clinical settings.
Source: Park, J., Bae, E., Sim, Y.J. et al. The influence of habitual consumption of alcohol on the incidence of obstructive sleep apnea: a national population-based cohort study. Sleep Breath. 2026 30, 127.