Respiration During Sleep in the Aged Human

Sleep and respiration were evaluated on a single night in 40 elderly subjects, including 22 women (ages 62 to 85, mean = 74) and 18 men (ages 63 to 86, mean = 72.7). Sleep-related respiratory disturbances, apneas and hypopneas lasting 10 seconds or longer, were evaluated in each subject. The number of such disturbances ranged from 0 (in 5 women and 2 men) to 216. Seven women (31.8%) and eight men (44.4%) had greater than five respiratory disturbances per hour of sleep. In women, there appeared to be an age-related increase in respiratory disturbances, with a marked augmentation occurring in the eighth decade. In men, this age relationship was not apparent. In a number of cases, arousals associated with respiratory disturbances presented a clear disruption of nocturnal sleep (up to as many as 45 disturbances per hour). This high prevalence of sleep-related respiratory disturbance in aged individuals suggests a possible cause of sleep complaints in many elderly persons.