The "respiratory REM sleep without atonia benefit" on coexisting REM sleep behavior disorder - obstructive sleep apnea.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional comparative observational study.
PubMed 34381583 · doi:10.5935/1984-0063.20200054
What was done
The study compared the impact of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) between patients with comorbid REM sleep behavior disorder (OSAS-RBD) and patients with predominantly or isolated REM sleep-related OSAS (OSAS-REM group) to assess the potential protective effect of REM sleep without atonia.
What was found
The authors reported a significantly lower nadir of oximetry values in the OSAS-RBD group compared to the OSAS-REM group. No exact numbers, sample sizes, effect sizes, or p-values are reported in the abstract.
Why it matters
This study provides comparative evidence that motor tone during REM sleep (REM sleep without atonia) may alter oxygenation parameters in comorbid sleep apnea, suggesting REM-predominant OSAS as a potential model to study respiratory impacts in RBD and Parkinson's disease.
Limits
No numerical data, participant counts (n), patient demographics, or statistical metrics are reported in the abstract. As an observational comparative study, it cannot demonstrate causality or account for unmeasured confounders.
Cited by
- supports Snoring is worse during REM sleep and toward the end of the night because respiratory muscles lose tone and REM sleep is concentrated later in the sleep period.