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Effect of moderate alcohol intake on nocturnal sleep respiratory parameters in healthy middle-aged men

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Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine Aims and scope

Abstract

Purpose

It is known that a moderate to large volume of alcohol produces deterioration in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), however, no consensus has been achieved with respect to the influence of a moderate volume of alcohol on mild to moderate OSA. In this study, we investigated the influence of alcohol on OSA-associated parameters in healthy middle-aged males drinking a moderate volume of alcohol (<1 g alcohol/kg bodyweight per day).

Methods

Subjects were 23 healthy males (mean age of 46.0) with a habitual ingestion of moderate a mounts of alcohol. Respiratory sleep parameters were measured through the fitting of an Apnomonitor III (Chest Inc.) and portable sleep monitoring device (Actiwatch: AMI Inc.) to subjects on three nights; an alcohol-free night, a night on which they drank alcohol with dinner, and a night on which they drank alcohol within 30 minutes before retiring to bed. The measurements were categorized into the early and late halves of assumed sleep for analysis.

Results

The apnea-hypopnea index was significantly higher when drinking alcohol before retiring [mean (SD): 7.8 (8.2) events/hour] than the values on the alcohol-free day [2.9 (4.5) events/hour] and when drinking alcohol with dinner [3.8 (5.3) events/hour]. Furthermore, drinking alcohol before retiring resulted in lower arterial blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) during the early half of sleep [94.8 (1.4) %] when compared to the values on the alcohol-free day [95.7 (1.3) %] and drinking alcohol with dinner [95.4 (1.6) %]. In addition, the percentage of time with SpO2<92% (hypoxic event) during the early half of sleep [4.9 (9.3) %] was significantly higher than the values on the alcohol-free day [1.2 (1.8) %] and when drinking alcohol with dinner [1.4 (1.8) %].

Conclusion

These results suggest that moderate ingestion of alcohol within 30 minutes before retiring aggravates OSA-associated parameters in healthy males.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Welfare Promotion and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, 2630 Sugitani, 930-0194, Toyama City, Japan

    Ichiro Izumi, Ali Nasermoaddeli, Michikazu Sekine & Sadanobu Kagamimori

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  1. Ichiro Izumi
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  2. Ali Nasermoaddeli
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  3. Michikazu Sekine
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  4. Sadanobu Kagamimori
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Correspondence to Ichiro Izumi.

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Izumi, I., Nasermoaddeli, A., Sekine, M. et al. Effect of moderate alcohol intake on nocturnal sleep respiratory parameters in healthy middle-aged men. Environ Health Prev Med 10, 16–20 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1265/ehpm.10.16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1265/ehpm.10.16

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