title: Room oxygen enrichment improves sleep and subsequent day-time performance at high altitude.
abstract: We carried out a randomized, double-blind trial at 3800 m altitude to test whether a small degree of room oxygen enrichment at night improves sleep quality, and performance and well-being the following day. Eighteen sea-level residents drove from sea level to 3800 m in one day, and then slept one night in ambient air, and another night in 24% oxygen, the order being randomized. With oxygen enrichment the subjects had fewer apneas (P < 0.01) and spent less time in periodic breathing with apneas (P < 0.01) than when they slept in ambient air. Subjective assessments of sleep quality were also significantly improved. There was a lower acute mountain sickness score during the morning after oxygen-enriched sleep (P < 0.01) and a greater increase in arterial oxygen saturation from evening to morning (P < 0.05). The larger increases in arterial oxygen saturation from evening to morning suggest that the control of breathing may have been altered. Installing an oxygen-enriched room at high altitude is relatively simple and inexpensive, and shows promise for improving well-being of both commuters and residents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla 92093-0623, USA.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Luks
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: van Melick
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Batarse
authors.forename: F L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Powell
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Grant
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: West
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000531:Altitude; D000532:Altitude Sickness / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000378:metabolism; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010100:Oxygen / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects*; D012890:Sleep / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D010100:Oxygen