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Related Experiment Videos

Sympathetic-nerve activity during sleep in normal subjects

V K Somers1, M E Dyken, A L Mark

  • 1Department of Medicine, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City 52242.

The New England Journal of Medicine
|February 4, 1993
PubMed
Summary

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep triggers significant sympathetic nervous system activation and blood pressure surges. These changes during REM sleep may initiate cardiovascular events like heart attacks and strokes in susceptible individuals.

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Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Physiology
  • Sleep Medicine
  • Autonomic Nervous System

Background:

  • The early morning hours are linked to increased risks of myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke.
  • The precise triggers for these cardiovascular events remain unclear.
  • This study explores the role of autonomic nervous system changes during sleep, specifically REM sleep, in initiating these events.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between sleep stages and autonomic nervous system activity.
  • To determine if changes during sleep, particularly REM sleep, contribute to cardiovascular events.

Main Methods:

  • Measured blood pressure, heart rate, and sympathetic nerve activity via microneurography in eight normal subjects.
  • Monitored physiological parameters during wakefulness and all five sleep stages.

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Main Results:

  • Sympathetic nerve activity, blood pressure, and heart rate decreased significantly during non-REM sleep compared to wakefulness.
  • REM sleep was associated with a marked increase in sympathetic nerve activity and a return to wakefulness-like blood pressure and heart rate levels.
  • REM twitches during REM sleep correlated with suppressed sympathetic discharge and blood pressure surges.

Conclusions:

  • REM sleep is characterized by substantial sympathetic activation in healthy individuals, potentially related to muscle tone fluctuations.
  • The observed hemodynamic and sympathetic alterations during REM sleep may contribute to triggering ischemic events in patients with underlying vascular disease.