Effect of moderate alcohol upon obstructive sleep apnoea

Area of Science:

• Sleep Medicine
• Cardiology
• Pulmonology

Background:

• Moderate-to-large alcohol quantities are known to worsen severe obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA).
• Effects of moderate alcohol on mild-to-moderate OSA are inconsistent.
• Conflicting data on moderate alcohol's cardiovascular benefits complicates OSA management recommendations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effects of moderate alcohol consumption on sleep and breathing in individuals with mild-to-moderate OSA.
• To determine if moderate alcohol intake impacts apnoea-hypopnoea index and oxygen saturation.
• To assess changes in cardiac frequency and stress markers following moderate alcohol consumption.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-one male volunteers with habitual snoring participated.
• Polysomnography was conducted with and without moderate alcohol consumption (0.5 g/kg BW) 90 minutes before sleep.
• Mean blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at lights out was 0.07 g/dL.

Main Results:

• The mean apnoea-hypopnoea index significantly increased from 7.1 to 9.7 events/h (p=0.017).
• No significant changes were observed in minimum oxygen saturation, apnoea length, or snoring intensity.
• Mean sleep cardiac frequency significantly increased from 53.9 to 59.9 beats/min (P<0.001).
• Overnight urinary noradrenalin showed a non-significant trend of increase (p=0.061).

Conclusions:

• Modest alcohol consumption (mean BAC 0.07 g/dL) significantly increases obstructive sleep apnoea frequency.
• Moderate alcohol intake also significantly elevates mean sleep cardiac frequency in individuals with mild-to-moderate OSA.
• These findings suggest caution regarding alcohol consumption for patients with mild-to-moderate OSA.