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The separate and combined effects of hypoxia and sustained recumbency/inactivity on sleep architecture

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Abstract

Purpose

The objective was to determine the separate and combined effects of hypoxia and inactivity/unloading on sleep architecture during a 10-day period of confinement.

Methods

Ten subjects participated in three 10-day trials in random order: hypoxic ambulatory (HAMB), hypoxic bedrest (HBR), and normoxic bedrest (NBR). During the HAMB and HBR trials, subjects were confined to a hypoxic facility. The hypoxia profile was: simulated altitude of 2,990 m on day 1, 3,380 m on day 2, and 3,881 m on day 3. In the NBR and HBR trials, subjects maintained a horizontal position throughout the confinement period. During each trial, sleep polysomnography was conducted one night prior to (baseline; altitude of facility is 940 m) and on the first (NT1, altitude 2,990 m) and tenth (NT10, altitude 3,881 m) night of the 10-day intervention.

Results

Average time in sleep stage 1 decreased from NT1 to NT10 irrespective of trial. Overall incidence and time spent in periodic breathing increased from NT1 to NT10 in both HAMB and HBR. During NT1, both HAMB and HBR reduced slow-wave sleep and increased light sleep, whereas NBR and HBR increased the number of awakenings/night. There were fewer awakenings during HAMB than NBR.

Conclusions

Acute exposure to both hypoxia and bedrest (HBR) results in greater sleep fragmentation due to more awakenings attributed to bedrest, and lighter sleep as a result of reduced slow wave sleep caused by the hypoxic environment.

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Abbreviations

AHI:

Apnoea–hypopnoea index

AMS:

Acute mountain sickness

ANOVA:

Analysis of variance

CI:

Confidence intervals

ECG:

Electrocardiography

EEG:

Electroencephalography

EMG:

Electromyography

EOG:

Electrooculography

EVA:

Extravehicular activities

FO2 :

Fraction of oxygen

FIO2 :

Fraction of inspired oxygen

HAMB:

Hypoxic ambulatory condition

HBR:

Hypoxic bedrest condition

ISS:

International Space Station

LLMS:

Lake Louise Mountain Scores

N1:

Stage 1 non-rapid eye movement sleep

N2:

Stage 2 non-rapid eye movement sleep

NBR:

Normoxic bedrest condition

NREM:

Non-rapid eye movement sleep

NT1:

Night 1

NT10:

Night 10

PIO2 :

Partial pressure of inspired oxygen

PLM:

Periodic limb movements

PSG:

Polysomnography

REM:

Rapid eye movement sleep

SWS:

Slow wave sleep

WASO:

Wake after sleep onset

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the participants for completing the demanding protocol, to Ms. Judita Jeran and Dr. Andrej Pangerc for their assistance during data collection and Boštjan Kastelic, dipl.ing. for technical support. This research was supported by the European Space Agency (ESA) Programme for European Cooperating States (ESTEC/Contract No. 40001043721/11/NL/KML: Planetary Habitat Simulation), and the Slovene Research Agency (Contract No. L3-3654 and No. P3-0338).

Ethical standard

The study was conducted following the approval of the protocol by the National Committee for Medical Ethics at the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Slovenia, and conformed with the Declaration of Helsinki guidelines.

Conflict of interest

The authors confirm they have no personal or financial conflicts of interest with the research communicated herein.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, General Hospital Izola, Izola, Slovenia

    Bojan Rojc

  2. Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, University of Primorska, FAMNIT, Glagoljaška 8, 6000, Koper, Slovenia

    Bojan Rojc

  3. Department of Automation, Biocybernetics and Robotics, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Shawnda A. Morrison & Igor B. Mekjavic

  4. Department of Environmental Physiology, School of Technology and Health, Royal Institute of Technology, Solna, Sweden

    Ola Eiken

  5. Institute of Clinical Neurophysiology, Division of Neurology, University Medical Centre, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Leja Dolenc-Grošelj

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  1. Bojan Rojc
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  2. Shawnda A. Morrison
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  3. Ola Eiken
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  4. Igor B. Mekjavic
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  5. Leja Dolenc-Grošelj
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Correspondence to Bojan Rojc.

Additional information

Communicated by Dick F. Stegeman.

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Rojc, B., Morrison, S.A., Eiken, O. et al. The separate and combined effects of hypoxia and sustained recumbency/inactivity on sleep architecture. Eur J Appl Physiol 114, 1973–1981 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-014-2909-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-014-2909-7

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