Cardio-respiratory phase synchronization is significantly enhanced during non-REM sleep (3.8%) and reduced during REM sleep (0.6%) compared to wakefulness (1.6%).
Observational (n=112)
Yes
Cardiorespiratory phase synchronization is enhanced during non-REM sleep and suppressed during REM sleep, suggesting that higher brain region activity imposes correlated noise that disturbs synchronization.
Effect estimate: 6.3-fold difference
Absolute Event Rate: 3.8% vs 0.6%
Transitions in the dynamics of complex systems can be characterized by changes in the synchronization behavior of their components. Taking the human cardiorespiratory system as an example and using an automated procedure for screening the synchrograms of 112 healthy subjects we study the frequency and the distribution of synchronization episodes under different physiological conditions that occur during sleep. We find that phase synchronization between heartbeat and breathing is significantly enhanced during non-rapid-eye-movement (non-REM) sleep (deep sleep and light sleep) and reduced during REM sleep. Our results suggest that the synchronization is mainly due to a weak influence of the breathing oscillator upon the heartbeat oscillator, which is disturbed in the presence of long-term correlated noise, superimposed by the activity of higher brain regions during REM sleep.
Bartsch et al. (Thu,) conducted a observational in Healthy (n=112). Sleep stages (REM vs non-REM) vs. Wakefulness was evaluated on Percentage of cardio-respiratory phase synchronization (6.3-fold difference). Cardio-respiratory phase synchronization is significantly enhanced during non-REM sleep (3.8%) and reduced during REM sleep (0.6%) compared to wakefulness (1.6%).