A great place to start Disorder information source Rated and Reviewed Sleep Links Entrance to all monitored Sleep Forums Search all of Sleepnet.com


Sleep Apnea
Forum Posting


Archived Apnea Forum109 viewing only. To post a new topic go to the Apnea Forum Homepage.

Re: What's up with restlessness?

Posted by SGS on January 23, 2003 at 17:30:09:

In Reply to: Re: What's up with restlessness? posted by permagrin on January 23, 2003 at 16:44:38:

I don't think that there is much evidence that sleep deprivation by itself causes irreversable brain damage.

I'm also convinced that you don't actually need REM as an adult (I'm starting to think REM maybe an evolutionary hangover or it may be useful when we are younger for some reason). Tricyclic antidepressants, for example, almost eliminate REM and thousands have been using them since the 70s without cognitive disability one would think would occur if we really NEEDED REM- like we need food and air.

Having said that the experiments in REM deprivation have shown that fragmenting sleep is not good for daytime function. But daytime function due to sleep deprivation (partial or complete) or from sleep fragmentation is reversible after recovery sleep.

The scary thing with OSA (I think) is the oxygen desaturations that often accompany it. The desaturation index seems to be the thing that correlates most often and most strongly with the nasty physiological outcomes. It's not clear whether the observed diffuse brain damage that hypoxia causes in animals also applies to humans or whether the damage observed in humans is causing the OSA. It's also not known whether CPAP treatment can fully reverse these neurological effects.

Where did the info regarding regeneration of specific neurons during specfic sleep stages come from? This idea is completely new to me.

Also levels of alertness and sleep propensity go up and down throughout the day regardless of how much sleep we've had (ie sleep debt levels). So you could have 1 hour of crappy OSA sleep and wakeup feeling OK just because the time of day had shifted, rather than the effects of the nap. But then again 1 hour of crappy OSA sleep is probably better than no sleep at all (but it would be much better to sleep with CPAP and get real sleep).

Follow Ups:


Archived Apnea Forum109 viewing only. To post a new topic go to the Apnea Forum Homepage

  • IMPORTANT : Information not intended as medical advice. If you suspect that you have a sleep disorder you should seek care from a qualified professional. Read Terms of Use.
  • The Sleep Forums are not to be used for commercial purposes.
  • Commercial products and services are not endorsed by Sleepnet.com.
  • Sleep Deprivation due to Sleep Apnea and insufficient sleep are common and can present as insomnia, narcolepsy, or idiopathic hypersomnia. In infants and children sleep problems commonly present themselves as ADD or ADHD.


Copyright ©1995-2005 Sleepnet.com., All rights reserved