REM sleep obstructive sleep apnoea.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review of existing literature without systematic methodology or meta-analysis.
PubMed 38355150 · doi:10.1183/16000617.0166-2023
What was done
This narrative review summarized available literature on rapid eye movement (REM) obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), evaluating its pathophysiology, clinical features, epidemiology, cardiometabolic consequences, and management challenges.
What was found
The abstract provides no numerical data. It qualitatively reports that REM OSA respiratory events are longer and cause greater oxygen desaturation compared to non-REM events. REM OSA has a higher prevalence in women, commonly presents within overall mild-to-moderate OSA based on whole-night apnoea-hypopnoea index, and is associated with systemic hypertension, daytime sleepiness, and elevated cardiometabolic risk. Because REM sleep predominates in the latter half of the night, standard 4-hour CPAP compliance is often insufficient, while CPAP adherence among these patients remains poor and data on alternative therapies are lacking.
Why it matters
The review underscores that standard whole-night apnoea metrics and conventional 4-hour CPAP adherence targets may underestimate disease severity and leave REM-dependent respiratory events undertreated.
Limits
The abstract describes a narrative review without reporting search parameters, study inclusion counts, or quantitative effect sizes. It also highlights an existing literature gap regarding alternative, non-CPAP treatment options for REM OSA.
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.