Kitamura T, et al. – This study determined the impact of sleep phase fragmentation due to sleep–disordered breathing (SDB) during rapid eye movement (REM) and non–REM (NREM) on the vigilance and sustainability of attention based on psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) performance. Researchers reported that SDB during NREM had a significant effect on vigilance lapses compared to that of REM.

Methods

• From a pool of subjects who experienced consecutive diagnostic polysomnography (PSG) for obstructive sleep apnea, one hundred sixty-three adult subjects with both REM and NREM sleep ≥ 30 min were enlisted for the examination and performed a standardized 10-min PVT.
• Mean reaction time (RT), PVT Lapse count, and the slope of the reciprocal RT were the main outcome variables of the PVT.
• Using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), subjective sleepiness was measured.

Results

• According to the findings obtained, apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) during NREM (AHI_NREM) compared to AHI during REM (AHI_REM) was significantly related to PVT lapses after multivariate linear regression analysis with adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, and AHI of the counterpart sleep phase.