Heart rate variability and sleep-related breathing disorders in the general population

Obstructive sleep apnea seems to have an important influence on the autonomic nervous system. In this study, we assessed the relations of sleep apnea-related parameters with 24-hour heart rate variability (HRV) in a large population of young and healthy adults. Participants aged 25 to 41 years with a body mass index <35 kg/m(2) and without known obstructive sleep apnea were included in a prospective population-based cohort study. HRV was assessed using 24-hour electrocardiographic monitoring. The SD of all normal RR intervals (SDNN) was used as the main HRV variable. Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) and oxygen desaturation index (ODI) were obtained from nighttime pulse oximetry with nasal airflow measurements. We defined sleep-related breathing disorders as an AHI ≥5 or an ODI ≥5. Multivariable regression models were constructed to assess the relation of HRV with either AHI or ODI. Median age of the 1,255 participants was 37 years, 47% were men, and 9.6% had an AHI ≥5. Linear inverse associations of SDNN across AHI and ODI groups were found (p for trend = 0.006 and 0.0004, respectively). The β coefficients (95% CI) for the relation between SDNN and elevated AHI were -0.20 (-0.40 to -0.11), p = 0.04 and -0.29 (-0.47 to -0.11), p = 0.002 for elevated ODI. After adjustment for 24-hour heart rate, the same β coefficients (95% CI) were -0.06 (-0.22 to 0.11), p = 0.51 and -0.14 (-0.30 to 0.01), p = 0.07, respectively. In conclusion, even early stages of sleep-related breathing disorders are inversely associated with HRV in young and healthy adults, suggesting that they are tightly linked with autonomic dysfunction. However, HRV and 24-hour heart rate seem to have common information.