Sleep
-
Using the characters of his novels as the canvas, Charles Dickens painted vivid word pictures of a variety of manifestations of sleep and its disorders. These were presumably based on the author's own experiences and those of family and friends. ⋯ For this he devised the unique therapy of long night walks. This article illustrates, by a few selected quotations, this hitherto unpublicized aspect of the author's life and works.
-
We measured respiratory mechanical characteristics during sleep in five heavy, nonapneic snorers (HS) and in five obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients. In two HS and in two OSA patients we obtained lateral pharyngeal cineradiographic images during sleep while snoring. Flow limitation preceded all snores in both HS and OSA. ⋯ Maximal flow during snoring was less (p less than 0.05) in OSA (0.18 +/- 0.07 liter/second) than in HS (0.36 +/- 0.06 liter/second). Linear supraglottic resistance during inspiratory snoring was higher, though not significantly, in OSA patients (7.11 +/- 3.01 cm H2O/liter/second) than in HS (4.80 +/- 2.83 cm H2O/liter/second). We conclude that: 1) Snoring is characterized by high frequency oscillations of the soft palate, pharyngeal walls, epiglottis and tongue. 2) Flow limitation appears to be a sine qua non for snoring during sleep. 3) The pattern of snoring is different in OSA and HS. 4) Pharyngeal size during snoring is probably larger in HS than in OSA patients.
-
Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Relative efficacy of drugs for the treatment of sleepiness in narcolepsy.
A survey was conducted on 10 polysomnographic studies on the pharmacologic treatment of the sleepiness of narcolepsy. Three studies employed the MSLT and 7 employed the MWT as their polygraphic measure of sleep tendency. ⋯ The common feature among the drugs that did produce clinically significant improvements seems to be facilitatory action on central catecholaminergic transmission. Within this group of drugs, only methylphenidate and dextroamphetamine brought MWT sleep latencies to approximately 70% of normal levels.
-
Comparative Study
A comparison of nine nasal continuous positive airway pressure machines in maintaining mask pressure during simulated inspiration.
Nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) "splints" the airway and prevents inspiratory collapse of the upper airway in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. Nine nasal CPAP machines were compared for their ability to maintain airway pressure at various simulated inspiratory flows. ⋯ Because machines varied in their ability to maintain a test pressure, it is recommended that the nasal CPAP machine used in the home be the same as that which was tested in the sleep laboratory. If a different machine is used, it may require adjustment to assure efficacy.
-
In a counter-balanced design, the effects of daytime and/or nighttime exposure to heat and/or traffic noise on night sleep were studied in eight healthy young men. During the day, the subjects were exposed to baseline condition (ambient temperature = 20 degrees C; no noise) or to both heat (35 degrees C) and noise. The duration of the daytime exposure was 8 h ending 5 h before sleep onset. ⋯ In the nocturnal hot condition, total sleep time decreased while duration of wakefulness, number of sleep stage changes, stage 1 episodes, number of awakenings, and transitions toward waking increased. An increase in the frequency of transient activation phases was also found in slow-wave sleep and in stage 2. In the nocturnal noise condition, only total number of sleep stage changes, changes to waking, and number of stage 1 episodes increased.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)