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Hypoxic ventilatory response during sleep in normal premenopausal women
The American Review of Respiratory Disease
|September 1, 1982
Summary
Women maintain their hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR) during non-REM sleep, unlike men. While REM sleep reduces HVR in women, their overall sleep HVR is less affected than in men, potentially explaining sex differences in sleep-disordered breathing.
Area of Science:
- Physiology
- Sleep Medicine
- Respiratory Control
Background:
- Sleep apnea and oxygen desaturation are more prevalent in men.
- Men exhibit a reduced hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR) during sleep.
- The HVR in women during sleep remains less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if women also have a reduced HVR during sleep compared to men.
- To assess the influence of the menstrual cycle on HVR in women.
Main Methods:
- Measured isocapnic hypoxic responsiveness in 6 healthy women.
- Assessed HVR during wakefulness and all sleep stages (REM, non-REM).
- Evaluated HVR during both follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle.
Main Results:
- Women maintained waking HVR levels during non-REM sleep.
- HVR significantly decreased by 30% during REM sleep (p < 0.05).
- Women demonstrated lower awake HVR than men, even when corrected for body surface area (p < 0.05).
Conclusions:
- Women exhibit preserved HVR during non-REM sleep, contrasting with men.
- REM sleep causes a significant HVR reduction in women.
- Differences in HVR between sexes may contribute to observed sexual dimorphism in sleep-disordered breathing.