Phase of nasal cycle during sleep tends to be associated with sleep stage

Abstract

Nasal cycle duration during sleep is longer than in wakefulness. Changes in laterality of nasal cycle frequently coincide with switches in posture, tend to occur in REM sleep, never occur in slow-wave sleep, and may be absent in subjects with severe nasal septal deviations.

Modulation of the ultradian human nasal cycle by sleep stage and body position

“…This study confirms that the side of maximal nasal airflow is influenced by body position, with the most airflow occurring through the uppermost nasal cavity 19 . In addition, the data support the notion that the nasal cycle is not an artifact of asymmetrical body position or other environmental factors 20,21,22 . Since no asymmetries in body pressure and posture were present when subjects were in the supine position, the airflow from this position may be most representative of the endogenous nasal cycle 23 .…”

“…Haight and Cole 24 , while providing evidence for the nasal cycle during sleep, were unable to demonstrate a clear relationship between sleep stage and nasal cycle phase since measurements were made after the patients were aroused from sleep. Kimura et al 22 found an association between the reversal of the nasal cycle and sleep stage in 69% of 16 subjects studied. None of the reversals occurred in the slow-wave sleep.…”

The Link between Rhinitis and Rapid-Eye-Movement Sleep Breathing Disturbances in Children with Obstructive Sleep Apnea

“…Next, we used individual PSG signal processing to evaluate stage-specific breathing abnormalities (i.e., OSA during rapid-eye-movement [REM] sleep stage) as previously described. 11 Given that REM sleep is characterized by significant nasal congestion 12,13 and that REM sleep modulates the nocturnal phenotypical features of OSA in asthmatic children, 11 we postulated that children with rhinitis and OSA would have more REM-related breathing abnormalities relative to those with OSA alone.…”

Sleep architecture, insulin resistance and the nasal cycle: Implications for positive airway pressure therapy

“…The status of airflow dominance between the right and left nasal airways is correlated with sympathetic and parasympathetic dominant states, respectively, as regulated by the ANS, 53,54 the lateralised ultradian rhythm of alternating cerebral hemispheric dominance 55,56 and is tightly coupled to sleep staging 44,46,53,55,57,58 and sleep position. 59 This suggests that the nasal cycle is strongly connected with sympathovagal balance.…”

“…60 The RACer-PAP technology artificially reinstates nasal cycle patterns throughout sleep which is postulated to have a positive effect on sleep state architecture. 9,27,29,33,34,35,36,37,38,53 A polysomnographic sleep clinic pilot study has recently been conducted with three n-CPAP-compliant OSA sufferers who received breathing treatment pressures ranging from 8 cm H 2 O to 14 cm H 2 O. This study compared treatment efficacy during full overnight use of RACer-PAP and n-CPAP systems.…”