The effects of sleep deprivation on facial appearance

This article received lots of press. Researchers took photographs of subjects after 8 hours of normal sleep and after 31 hours of sleep deprivation following only 5 hours of sleep the night before. The researchers then asked volunteers to list facial cues they associate with looking fatigued. The final list consisted of hanging eyelids, red eyes, swollen eyes, glazed eyes, dark circles under the eyes, pale skin, wrinkles around the eyes, rash / eczema, and droopy mouth corners. Finally, the researchers had participants rate the photographs for the fatigue cues.

The results showed that the fatigue cues were significantly found in the photographs of sleep deprived subjects - no big surprise. With the exception of glazed eyes, all of the cues that correlated with looking fatigued were also affected by sleep deprivation.

This research is interesting in that these cues for fatigue may help others determine if someone is too fatigued to be safe at work or while driving.

Improvement in facial appearance after CPAP treatment for obstructive sleep apnea

Here is an interesting article about changes in facial appearance after CPAP treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Researchers took 20 subjectively sleepy subjects diagnosed with OSA but not treated. They took detailed photographs using specialized digital photography techniques before and after several months of CPAP treatment. They then had 22 raters look at the before and after treatment photos to assess which ones were post-treatment and what changes were present.

The results showed that treatment with CPAP is rated as more alert, more youthful, and more attractive than before CPAP use. In this study, the researchers had the subjects subjectively rate their level of sleepiness. As expected, sleepiness levels did improve overall. However, there was not a strong correlation between the person feeling more alert and being perceived more alert by the raters. This may be because the subjective scale for sleepiness is limited, and perhaps an objective measure of sleepiness may have correlated better.

Finally, the results did not support the popular belief that dark, swollen, and baggy circles under the eyes are a main feature of sleepiness in those with OSA. Of course, it could be a feature in those who are sleepy from other causes, like sleep deprivation.

Since adherence to CPAP is not great, perhaps the results of this study will provide more motivation for individuals to use their CPAP regularly.