Changes in compartmental ventilation in association with eye movements during REM sleep

Abstract

The effect of phasic eye movement activity on ventilation during rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep was studied in seven healthy young adults by use of the respiratory inductive plethysmograph. Mean ventilation (VE) and ventilatory components during REM sleep were not significantly different from that seen in either stages 1-2 or 3-4 sleep. The percent of rib cage contribution to ventilation in REM sleep, 29.3 +/- 5.1%, was reduced compared with 54.4 +/- 5.8% in stage 1-2 and 52.2 +/- 4.3% in stage 3-4 sleep (P less than 0.005). When one separated breaths by the degree of associated phasic eye movement activity, it became apparent that breathing during REM sleep is very heterogeneous. Increasing eye movement activity was associated with inhibition of ventilation with a reduction in VE from 5.1 +/- 0.3 to 3.8 +/- 0.3 l/min. Tidal volume and frequency both fell, whereas inspiratory duration was unchanged. Compartmental ventilation was also affected, with the fall in the rib cage contribution from 37.8 +/- 6.4 to 15.3 +/- 5.6%. Chest wall and abdominal movement became more asynchronous as phasic-eye-movement activity increased and frank paradoxical breathing was seen.

The effect of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep on upper airway mechanics in normal human subjects

“…In contrast to previous investigations (Millman et al 1988;Wiegand et al 1991), we noted that pharyngeal calibre and compliance were not different between tonic and phasic REM sleep. We considered several possible explanations for the difference between our findings and others.…”

Nocturnal hypoxaemia in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: who should be treated and how?

“…When analysing polysomnography records, sev eral irregular breathing patterns can be distin guished. Central apnoea is defined as the absence of P C 0 2 oscillations or oro-nasal airflow for at least 10 Several studies have tried to find daytime pa rameters to predict nocturnal saturation in pa tients with COPD, because nocturnal hypoxaemia caused by central hypopnoea is often symptomless. Although, polycythaemia, pulmonary hyper tension, cor pulmonale, morning headache or generalised fatigue indicate the presence of se vere disturbances.…”

“…Obstructive sleep apnoea / hypopnoea syndrome (OSAHS): OSAHS, defined as a sleeping disor der in which obstructive apnoea/hypopnoea events occur more than 10 times per sleeping hour, may affect 1-4% of the general population [3]. Thus, a similar percentage of patients with COPD may also suffer from OSAHS, but the prevalence is most probably not higher than in the general population.…”

“…During 10 weeks, 10 patients with COPD underwent TF-IM T at 60% of their maximal in spiratory mouth pressure (P Imax) and 10 control patients with COPD received sham TF-IM T at 10% of PI m iU i • Two times a day patients trained on an incentive flow m eter with an added resis tance for 15 min. P I max, maximal inspiratory transdiaphragmatic pressure (Pdi), and respira tory muscle endurance improved significantly in the 60% training group.…”

“…However, these studies were based on the assumption that there is a steady state of gas transfer, which does not exist during REM sleep [10]. It is inevitable, though, that hypoventiiation during R E M sleep is accompanied by some alter ation in ventilation/perfusion matching.…”