Sleep Architecture Severely Disrupted

[Skipper47]

I just had a sleep study done which stated the "sleep architecture was severely disrupted" and that I only had one episode of REM. I had "no significant non REM supine sleep present". I only had an apnea-hypopnea index of 5 and my lowest O2 sat was 90%. What are the implications of the above. I apparently only have mild apnea, so what does severely disrupted sleep architecture with only one episode of REM mean to me and what can be done to mitigate this type of sleep problem. Is there a name for this?

[trolleater]

I have severe apnea and have to use a bipap, I could only wish I was in your shoes, unless the Dr. wants to put you on a cpap then at this time you shouldnt stress over this, and by the way stress could be a big factor in your sleep patterns.

Sleep architecture represents the cyclical pattern of sleep as it shifts between the different sleep stages, including non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. It allows us to produce a picture of what sleep looks like over the course of a night, taking into account various depths of sleep as well as arousals to wakefulness. Sleep architecture can be represented by a graph called a hypnogram.

There are generally four to five sleep cycles during a night and each lasts from 90 to 120 minutes. Early in the night, you may transition from lighter sleep stages (called N1 sleep) to deeper, slow-wave sleep (called N2 and N3 sleep). REM sleep may appear, and it becomes more common during the latter part of the night, alternating with N2 sleep.
How Sleep Architecture Changes with Age

As we get older, both the amount and the quality of our sleep may change. Slow-wave sleep decreases and lighter N1 sleep increases. As a result, it becomes easier to awaken and more time may be spent awake, leading to insomnia.

The Impact of Sleep Disorders on Sleep Architecture

There are certain sleep architecture abnormalities that may exist in the context of sleep disorders. If REM sleep occurs earlier than 90 to 120 minutes into sleep, this may suggest various causes, including:

Narcolepsy
Irregular sleep-wake rhythm
Withdrawal from tricyclic antidepressants or MAO inhibitors
Depression
Other sleep disorders such as sleep apnea may lead to disruptions of the natural sleep architecture with frequent arousals leading to numerous sleep stage shifts and abnormal cycling of sleep.

Sources:

American Academy of Sleep Medicine. "International classification of sleep disorders: Diagnostic and coding manual." 2nd ed. 2005.

I googled this for you hope it helps.

[Skipper47]

Definitely not a "do it yourself" test..I'm not sure how one would conduct such a test. This was done at a sleep center by an MD sleep specialist/pulmonologist. The only other relevant data is that it is "indicated 5.5 to 7.5 hours of total sleep during the night with no napping and normal sleep latencies". My major concerns are: What are the implications of "severely disrupted sleep architecture" and only one episode of REM which was supine". I don't have time in my extremely busy life to "do tired". My life is incredibly stressful with little relaxation time. The idea of napping would be an impossibility for me.

[Jerry_NJ]

Please tell us what your doctor gave as a diagnosis treatment, this wasn't a do-it-yourself test was it?

Do you feel very tired during the day, during your awake periods?  If no, I would conclude your sleep test is errored.  

You name a number of issues I have never heard of, and I have undergone a hospital supervised sleep test and have been diagnosed wtih mild obstructive sleep apnea.  I still had about 17% REM sleep, which is at the lower end of normal.
How long was your one episode?  I don't know but assumed the 17% REM measured for me was 17% of the supervised sleep period.