Sleep quality and pulmonary function in the healthy elderly.

Loss of sleep causes deterioration of pulmonary function and ventilatory responsiveness in normal humans and in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. To evaluate the effects of variations in sleep quality on breathing, we studied 48 healthy elderly volunteers (mean age, 70 years). Electroencephalographically derived indices of sleep quality were correlated with spirometric performance, MIP, MEP, and waking SaO2. We found significant correlations between several indices of sleep quality and the spirometric measurements in the group as a whole, and striking correlations between sleep quality and PFTs in those with sleep efficiency less than or equal to 70 percent. We conclude that sleep disturbance may be related to poor performance on PFTs. These results suggest that spirometry should be performed on well-rested patients. The results also point to sleep quality as a potentially important variable in the management of patients with pulmonary disease.