Search resultsEffect of moderate alcohol upon obstructive sleep apnoea
Title
Effect of moderate alcohol upon obstructive sleep apnoea
Publication type
Journal Article
Year of Publication
2000
Authors
Journal
European Respiratory Journal
Volume
16
Issue
5
Pagination
909 - 913
Date published
2000
ISBN
09031936 (ISSN)
Keywords
Adult, alcohol, Alcohol apnoea sleep, alcohol blood level, alcohol consumption, Alcohol Drinking, arterial oxygen saturation, article, Central Nervous System Depressants, circadian rhythm, clinical article, clinical trial, controlled clinical trial, controlled study, creatinine, Ethanol, heart rate, human, Humans, male, Middle Aged, noradrenalin, Norepinephrine, oxygen, polysomnography, priority journal, pulse oximetry, randomized controlled trial, Reference Values, sleep, sleep apnea syndrome, Sleep Apnea Syndromes, snoring
Abstract
Moderate-to-large quantities of alcohol are known to aggravate severe obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), however, the reported effects of moderate alcohol consumption upon mild-to-moderate OSA are inconsistent, Given the reported benefits of moderate alcohol consumption on cardiovascular mortality, recommendations regarding the management of patients with OSA are difficult to formulate. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of moderate alcohol on sleep and breathing in subjects with mild-to-moderate OSA. Twenty-one male volunteers, who snored habitually, underwent polysomnography with and without 0.5 g alcohol·kg body weight (BW) -1consumed 90 min prior to sleep time, in random order. The mean blood alcohol concentration (BAC) following alcohol at the time of lights out was 0.07g·dL -1The distribution amongst the various sleep stages was not significantly altered by alcohol. The mean apnoea/hypopnoea index rose from 7.1±1.9 to 9.7±2.1 events·h -1(mean±SEM, p=0.017); however, there was no significant change in the minimum arterial oxygen saturation measured by pulse oximetry Sp,O 2, apnoea length or snoring intensity. Mean sleep cardiac frequency rose significantly from 53.9±1.4 to 59.9±1.9 beats·min -1(p<0.001) and overnight urinary noradrenalin increased from 14.94±2.3 to 18.84±2.3 nmol·mmol creatinine -1(p=0.061) on the alcohol night compared to the nonalcohol night. To conclude, modest alcohol consumption, giving a mean blood alcohol concentration of 0.07 g·dL -1, significantly increases both obstructive sleep apnoea frequency and mean sleep cardiac frequency.