Objective EDS (lower MSLT) in OSA patients was associated with significantly elevated 24-hour (β = -0.34, p = .01), daytime (β = -0.30, p = .02) and nighttime (β = -0.38, p < .01) IL-6 levels, and significantly decreased daytime (β = 0.35, p = .01) cortisol levels.
In patients with OSA, physiological sleepiness, but not subjective EDS (Epworth Sleepiness Scale [ESS]), has been associated with increased levels of the sleep- inducing proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6).