Sleep Spindle Characteristics in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS)

Abstract

Background: We compared the density and duration of sleep spindles topographically in stage 2 and 3 of non-rapid eye movement sleep (N2 and N3) among adults diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS) and healthy controls.Materials and Methods: Thirty-one individuals with OSAS (mean age: 48.50 years) and 23 healthy controls took part in the study. All participants underwent a whole night polysomnography. Additionally, those with OSAS were divided into mild, moderate and severe cases of OSAS.Results: For N2, sleep spindle density did not significantly differ between participants with and without OSAS, or among those with mild, moderate and severe OSAS. For N3, post-hoc analyses revealed significantly higher spindle densities in healthy controls and individuals with mild OSAS than in those with moderate or severe OSAS. Last, in N2 a higher AHI was associated with a shorter sleep spindle duration.Conclusion: OSAS is associated with a significantly lower spindle density in N3 and a shorter spindle duration in N2. Our results also revealed that, in contrast to moderate and severe OSAS, the sleep spindle characteristics of individuals with mild OSAS were very similar to those of healthy controls.

Compared to Individuals with Mild to Moderate Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), Individuals with Severe OSA Had Higher BMI and Respiratory-Disturbance Scores

“…Sleep efficiency decreased in an almost linear fashion from healthy controls to individuals with mild, moderate, and severe OSA [33], with individuals with severe OSA having the lowest sleep efficiency, compared to individuals with no, mild, and moderate OSA, and always assessed with sleep-EEG. In parallel, arousal index and wake index were highest in individuals with moderate and severe OSA, compared to individuals with no and mild OSA [33].…”

“…Foroughi et al [37] reported in their brief review the following predictors: snoring, male gender, age over 50 years, hypertension, and metabolic diseases. To our knowledge, except the recently published data on sleep spindles among individuals with OSAS [33], PSG data in combination with demographic and anthropometric information of Iranian individuals with OSA are missing. To counter this, in the present study, we blended demographic, anthropometric, and PSG data to predict OSA severity.…”

“…In two representative studies of PSG-derived sleep continuity and sleep architecture indices in individuals with OSA [33,34], the following patterns were observed: for sleep continuity, higher sleep fragmentation was reported [33,34], along with a faster decay of deep sleep, compared to healthy controls [34]. Sleep efficiency decreased in an almost linear fashion from healthy controls to individuals with mild, moderate, and severe OSA [33], with individuals with severe OSA having the lowest sleep efficiency, compared to individuals with no, mild, and moderate OSA, and always assessed with sleep-EEG. In parallel, arousal index and wake index were highest in individuals with moderate and severe OSA, compared to individuals with no and mild OSA [33].…”

The association between obstructive sleep apnea and sleep spindles in middle-aged and older men: a community-based cohort study

“…Previous small studies consistently reported decreased overall spindle density (11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16) Hz, number/min), frontal slow spindle density (11)(12)(13) Hz, number/min), centroparietal fast spindle density (13)(14)(15)(16) Hz, number/min), and overall spindle frequency in clinical samples of patients with OSA compared to age-or gender-matched controls [4,[10][11][12]. Some evidence also suggests spindle abnormalities partly improve with OSA therapy [12,13].…”

“…Some evidence also suggests spindle abnormalities partly improve with OSA therapy [12,13]. Furthermore, several small studies showed associations of a greater number of obstructive breathing episodes with reduced spindle deceleration and decreased spindle density [14][15][16].…”