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Clues
To Nighttime Snoring
Excerpt By Suzanne Rostler, Reuters Health
NEW
YORK (Reuters Health) - Individuals who are prone to snoring or
who are frequently awaked at night by breathing problems may rest
easier on a planet other than Earth, researchers suggest.
According
to the results of a study involving five astronauts before, during
and after two space shuttle missions, the earth's gravitational
pull plays a key role in obstructive sleep apneas--periods of
breathlessness during sleep--and may be at least partially responsible
for snoring.
In an interview
with Reuters Health, Dr. G. Kim Prisk from the University of California,
San Diego, explained that obstructive sleep apnea occurs when
the muscle tone of the upper airway is reduced during certain
phases of sleep.
``The results
of this study show clearly that the dominant force that causes
this obstruction is gravity,'' Prisk said.
The finding,
published in the August issue of the American Journal of Respiratory
and Critical Care Medicine, suggests that adjusting the sleeping
positions of individuals who experience nighttime breathing problems
may help them to rest easier.
Sleeping on
the back, for instance, allows the airway to collapse backwards,
while sleeping in a more upright position would be one way to
use gravity to prevent obstructed breathing, the report indicates.
Prisk and
colleagues examined the effect of gravity on sleep-related breathing
problems in healthy astronauts whose average age was 41 years.
The researchers monitored the number of sleep-related disturbances,
the amount of time spent snoring and the number of wakings caused
by respiratory problems before, during and after two space shuttle
missions that took place in 1998.
The lack of
gravity in space was associated with a 55% reduction in breathing
problems and a near elimination of snoring, which fell to 0.7%
of total sleep time during flight from 16.5% of sleep time before
the flight.
``The respiratory
system is greatly influenced by the force of gravity,'' the researchers
conclude.
SOURCE:
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
Reference
Source 89
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