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Re: Worst time for OSA?

Posted by Kevin (in Walla Walla) on January 24, 2003 at 14:45:41:

In Reply to: Worst time for OSA? posted by johnnewmexico on January 24, 2003 at 10:30:04:

In a majority of apneics the worst events are while supine and in REM sleep. The REM periods start out fairly short, maybe a few minutes, and get progressively longer during the night. The last REM period may be 30-40-50 minutes long. So it would seem that if you're going to wear PAP a couple hours during the night, it should be the last couple. However, if you're not wearing PAP for the first part of the night this will affect how much Slow Wave Sleep (SWS) you get. SWS is when Human Growth Hormone is secreted in greatest amounts. This is necessary to physically heal the body. Many sex hormones are also manufactured in greatest concentrations in SWS.

There doesn't appear to be a "right" answer. There are a couple studies underway that will look at hours of use and neurocognative function. As part of the analysis they'll look at when the patients wear the PAP as well as how long.

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