Differential effects of waking from non-rapid eye movement versus rapid eye movement sleep on cardiovascular activity

Abstract

The occurrence of cardiovascular events increases in the morning, and while the mechanism responsible is yet to be determined, possible contributors include surges in sympathetic activity and concurrent rises in blood pressure (BP). This study tested the hypothesis that the increase in sympathetic dominance and the surge in BP were greater when waking spontaneously from Stage 2 sleep compared with waking from rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Twenty healthy young adults had overnight polysomnography, including electrocardiogram measurements. Spectral analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) was conducted on 2-min blocks of stable data selected from the last 30 min of sleep and during 30 min of..