Sleep Med Psychophysiol.
1994 Dec;1(2):163-171.
Correlations between Symptoms of Sleep Apnea and Respiration during Sleep
- Affiliations
-
- 1Yongjung Brain Function and Sleep Research Center, Seoul, Korea.
- 2Kwangju Severance Psychiatric Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Kwangju, Kyungki-do, Korea.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES
Symptoms of sleep apnea consisted of insomnia, excessive sleepiness during daytime, impaired cognitive functions and emotional disturbances. It was not so well known how these symptoms are correlated with various parameters of sleep and respiration, and what kind of psychophysiological processes are involved in development of these symptoms.
METHODS
In sixty patients with sleep apnea, sleep and respiration were studied by polysomnography of one night, also symptoms of sleep apnea were evaluated with the scales of insomnia, daytime sleepiness, emotional disturbance and cognitive impairment. We studied correlations between apnea symptoms, and various parameters of sleep and respiration such as sleep efficiency, number severity of apnea, O2 desaturation and number of snoring.
RESULTS
The result showing significant correlations are as follows. The patients with better sleep in insomnia scale showed more number of apnea, particularly more central type, and much more snoring in stage 3 sleep and mild desaturation of O2. Excessive sleepiness during daytime correlated significantly with stage 1 sleep and its snoring, but correlated negatively with stage 2 sleep. However, no significant correlation was found with degree of O2 desaturation. Emotional disturbance was more apparent in the patients with severe O2 desaturation and smaller amounts of stage 4 sleep. Cognitive function was more impaired in cases of more REM sleep and less apnea.
CONCLUSIONS
Symptoms of sleep apnea may occur through different causes and processes. The evaluation of apnea symptoms may be helpful to understand in some degree the condition of sleep and respiration during sleep in clinical setting.
