The retention of lung secretions during the night in normal subjects

1. Mucociliary clearance has been measured over a 6 h period by using the radioaerosol technique in seven normal male subjects lying supine, both during the day when awake, and during the night when asleep. 2. The percentage of radioaerosol cleared during the night, when asleep, was significantly less than during the day when awake (P less than 0.02). 3. A comparison of radioaerosol clearance before and after the time of onset of sleep demonstrates that reduced clearance occurred during sleep, indicating that this is probably a sleep-related phenomenon and not merely a result of diurnal variation. 4. This finding has important implications for patients with chronic bronchitis or asthma, in whom early morning cough or wheeze may be a predominant feature.