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Heart Rhythm Control During Sleep
Author(s) -
ŽEmaitytė Danguolė,
Varoneckas Giedrius,
Sokolov Eugene
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
psychophysiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.661
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1469-8986
pISSN - 0048-5772
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8986.1984.tb02935.x
Subject(s) - atropine , propranolol , heart rate , sleep (system call) , psychology , autonomic nervous system , anesthesia , rapid eye movement sleep , heart rhythm , respiratory system , vagal tone , parasympatholytic , parasympathetic nervous system , medicine , cardiology , eye movement , blood pressure , muscarinic acetylcholine receptor , neuroscience , psychiatry , computer science , operating system , receptor
Heart rate (HR) changes during sleep were analyzed, with the aid of a minicomputer, for a group of 20 healthy subjects. In stages 1, 2, 3, and 4, HR decreased against a background of increasing respiratory arrhythmia. REM sleep was characterized by increased HR and decreased respiratory arrhythmia. HR changes during sleep were dependent on the subject's initial autonomic HR control level. The evidence from 3 healthy subjects, who were studied under baseline conditions, propranolol (a sympatholytic agent), atropine (a parasympathetic depressant), and propranolol plus atropine, showed that the HR decrease during stages 1, 2, 3, and 4 is caused by augmented parasympathetic input. The HR increase during REM sleep is due to a reduction in parasympathetic control. The sympathetic input remains relatively constant throughout all stages of sleep, except for its decrease during stage 1.