The Effect of Melatonin on Sleep and Ventilatory Control in Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Our hypothesis is that oxidative stress induced during repeated apneas in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients alters the neural control of breathing which destabilizes ventilatory control and exacerbates OSA. Thus antioxidant treatment has the potential to reduce OSA severity. Melatonin is a hormone which regulates sleep patterns, but it is also a potent antioxidant. Melatonin production is suppressed when the eyes register light so people with healthy sleep exhibit a peak in blood serum levels around 2am which then decreases towards morning. OSA patients exhibit lower melatonin levels with a later peak around 6am which then extends later into the day. This abnormal pattern is thought to compound difficulty falling asleep and daytime mental fatigue. Therefore the potential benefits of melatonin treatment in OSA patients are two-fold: most importantly via its antioxidant actions melatonin may reduce chemoreflex sensitivity, stabilize ventilatory control and reduce OSA severity; by normalizing sleep phase melatonin may also allow patients to fall asleep easier and wake more refreshed.