Sleep Disordered Breathing Overview

Principles

Definition

Sleep disordered breathing is a broad academic and clinical concept encompassing various conditions characterized by abnormal respiratory patterns or inadequate ventilation occurring specifically during sleep. This research domain investigates the diverse etiologies, pathophysiological mechanisms, diagnostic methodologies, clinical sequelae, and therapeutic management strategies for these sleep-related respiratory disturbances. Its significance stems from the substantial health burden associated with these conditions, including cardiovascular, metabolic, and neurological complications, making it a critical focus within sleep medicine, respiratory sciences, and public health research.

Ontological type

Treatment Strategies

Pathophysiology

Diagnostic Methods

Key developments

Key Figures

Measurement and Airway Mechanisms era

Peter Sleight [1] emerged as a central figure in sleep physiology during the Measurement and Airway Mechanisms era, with institutional associations at University of California, San Francisco [2] and the University of Oregon [3]. His key contribution in this era was the paper Reflex Regulation of Arterial Pressure during Sleep in Man [4], which advanced understanding of cardiovascular reflex control during sleep and provided measurement-focused insights that underpinned mechanistic hypotheses about nocturnal airway patency. Sleight's approach to sleep physiology, emphasizing careful measurement and physiological signaling, reinforced the era's move toward standardized sleep measurements enabling cross-center comparability [1]. Sleight's legacy in this period provided the methodological groundwork that underpinned early device and surgical ideas for airway patency and pediatric investigations [1].

Diagnostic Standardization and Risk era

Sonia Ancoli-Israel [1] is a prominent sleep researcher whose work in the Diagnostic Standardization and Risk era (1986-2007) was affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco [2] and the University of California, San Diego [3]. Her key contribution in this era is the development and promotion of standardized scoring practices, exemplified by the 2007 The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) Manual for the Scoring of Sleep and Associated Events: Rules, Terminology and Technical Specifications [4], which provided uniform definitions and methodologies that enabled robust cross-study comparisons. This standardization framework laid the groundwork for large-scale cohort designs and multi-center trials in sleep-disordered breathing, facilitating prognostic studies of cardiometabolic risk in this era [4]. Thus, Sonia Ancoli-Israel's leadership in diagnostic standardization anchored guideline development and research networks that shaped epidemiologic and clinical outcomes research in sleep medicine during this period [1].

Population Screening and Technology era

Terry Young[1], affiliated with Greenville College[3] and the University of Wisconsin–Madison[4], emerged as a key voice in population-scale sleep-disordered breathing research during this era. His 2013 paper, Increased Prevalence of Sleep-Disordered Breathing in Adults[7], quantified rising prevalence and highlighted the need for scalable screening strategies in primary care and community settings, underscoring why population surveillance mattered. Atul Malhotra[2] was affiliated with Harvard University[5] and the University of California, San Francisco[6] during this period, contributing to foundational epidemiology of sleep-disordered breathing. His 2015 HypnoLaus study, Prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing in the general population: the HypnoLaus study[8], extended population-based estimates and reinforced the case for screening in general populations and cardiometabolic clinics.