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Changes in upper airway muscle activation and ventilation during phasic REM sleep in normal men
L Wiegand1, C W Zwillich, D Wiegand
1Department of Medicine, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey 17033.
Journal of Applied Physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985)
|August 1, 1991
Summary
During active eye movements in REM sleep, upper airway muscles show reduced activation, leading to hypoventilation. This occurs specifically during phasic REM (PREM) sleep, unlike tonic REM (TREM) sleep.
Area of Science:
- Sleep Medicine
- Respiratory Physiology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Irregular breathing is noted during rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep in healthy individuals.
- Ventilatory suppression is more pronounced during phasic REM (PREM) sleep compared to tonic REM (TREM) sleep.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether upper airway dilator muscle activation is suppressed during active eye movements in REM sleep.
- To compare respiratory parameters and muscle activity across NREM, PREM, and TREM sleep stages.
Main Methods:
- Six healthy men underwent nocturnal polysomnography.
- Continuous recordings of ventilation, genioglossus, and alae nasi electromyograms (EMG) were performed.
- Sleep stages and REM events were identified and categorized as PREM or TREM.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in ventilation or EMG amplitude between NREM and REM sleep when REM was analyzed as a single stage.
- Peak inspiratory genioglossus and alae nasi EMG activities were significantly decreased during PREM sleep compared to TREM sleep.
- Ventilation and tidal volume decreased, while respiratory frequency increased during PREM sleep compared to TREM and NREM sleep.
Conclusions:
- Hypoventilation during PREM sleep is associated with reduced upper airway dilator muscle activation.
- The underlying mechanisms for these changes during PREM sleep require further investigation.