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Updated: Jul 7, 2026
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Multi-Modal Home Sleep Monitoring in Older Adults
Published on: January 26, 2019
Polysomnographic respiratory abnormalities in asymptomatic individuals
Milena K Pavlova1, Jeanne F Duffy, Steven A Shea
1Division of Sleep Medicine, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
Sleep
|February 16, 2008
Summary
Respiratory disturbance index (RDI) increases with age in healthy adults, with men showing higher RDIs than women. This age-related increase in RDI may necessitate adjusted treatment criteria for sleep apnea.
Area of Science:
- Sleep Medicine
- Respiratory Physiology
- Gerontology
Background:
- Polysomnographic respiratory abnormalities are well-documented in the general population.
- Research has largely overlooked respiratory disturbances during sleep in completely healthy individuals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the frequency of respiratory disturbances during sleep (respiratory disturbance index, RDI) in healthy individuals.
- To investigate how RDI changes with age and sex in a healthy population.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional analysis of RDI in 163 healthy volunteers (106 men).
- Exclusion of individuals with chronic medical illness, obesity (BMI > 30 kg/m2), or medication use.
- Full polysomnography utilizing current standard recording and scoring techniques.
Main Results:
- A significant increase in RDI was observed with advancing age, particularly after 50 years.
- Ninety-five percent of healthy individuals under 50 had an RDI <15, compared to 50% of those over 65.
- Men exhibited higher RDIs (median 10) than women (median 5), with age affecting both sexes similarly.
Conclusions:
- Respiratory disturbance index (RDI) increases with age in healthy individuals, irrespective of symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.
- The long-term pathophysiologic consequences of age-related RDI increases in healthy individuals remain unknown.
- The findings suggest a potential need to reconsider treatment criteria for sleep apnea based on age.
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