Alterations in Blood Gases During Natural Sleep and Narcolepsy

Abstract

Changes in arterial O2 saturation, CO2 tension, and pH occurring before, during, and on awakening from sleep were studied in 11 normal subjects and 8 patients with narcolepsy. The changes were correlated with eeg stages of sleep. In normal subjects, retention of arterial CO2 and a decrease in O2 content appeared in all stages of sleep. The narcoleptic patients, while awake, tended to show values for blood gases similar to those seen in normal subjects while asleep. It is suggested that respiratory function in man is directly dependent upon his state of awareness.