Alcohol and Sleep Apnea

Ken McKenney, Coordinator

So. Ky. A.W.A.K.E.

Ethanol Usage?

• Per capita consumption of alcohol hasn’t changed since 1850

• In 1998, consumption was reported at 2.19 gallons (per year, per person 15 & older)

• Beer=1.25; Spirits=0.63; Wine=0.31• 35% of adults don’t drink, so this amount is

consumed by the remaining 65%• Men drink more than women (70% as compared

with 61%)

Used Extensively as a Sleep Aid

• 28% of insomniacs said they used alcohol to help fall asleep

• Occasional insomniacs=3.6 nights per month

• Chronic insomniacs=6.8 nights per month

• 67% overall describe alcohol as an effective or very effective method to induce sleep

Ball & Stick Model

• White= Hydrogen• Red= Oxygen• Black= Carbon• Metabolized quickly

A Normal Night’s Sleep

• Not necessarily a uniform process

• Stages 1,2,3,4 of NREM and REM

• Circadian Rhythm vs. “Sleep Debt”

Circadian vs. Sleep Debt

Definitions

• 12 oz bottle of beer or wine cooler1

• 5 oz glass of wine1

• 1.5 oz of 80 proof distilled spirits1

• These can yield BrAC’s as high as 0.105%!2

1Ancoli-Israel & Roth, 1991

2Bennington and Heller, 1995

Alcohol’s Effects on Sleep• Decreases Sleep

Latency• Decreases TST• May increase SWS

first half of night and decrease Growth Hormone(Takahashi et al. 1996 & Ekman et al.

1996)

• Increases wake and light sleep second half of night (Williams et al11983 & Roehrs et al 1991)

Alcohol’s Effects on SDB

• Increases muscle relaxation

• Increases # and Duration of Respiratory Events

• Can cause apneic events even in people who otherwise do not have SDB!

Alcohol and the Aging

• Normal decrease in SWS during aging process

• Awakenings of up to 20 times/night.

• Increases susceptibility to SDB

• Increases nighttime falls

Alcoholism and Sleep

• Increased sleep latency• Frequent awakenings• Decrease in subjective

sleep quality associated with EDS

• Increased REM• Severe withdrawal: periods

of REM with awakenings• Some alcoholics tend to

sleep poorly even years after abstinence!

A Final Note!

• Do not drink hand sanitizer! It can be deadly!

• MedicineNet reported that 2 men drank this for it’s alcohol content! Both survived.

• “Active ingredient 63% Isopropyl alcohol, this “is higher than that in Vodka”

• Industry considering “isopropanol” or “propane-2-ol”