Background:The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the duration of arousal and the type, duration and minSaO[sub]2[/sub] of apneas/hypopneas, and the time of night and sleep stage when they occurred.Material/Methods:We measured the duration of arousals associated with apneas (A) and hypopneas (H) in 10 polysomnographic recording. Arousals were categorized as: 1) Short Electroencephalographic Arousal (SEA: 3–15 s) and 2) Awakenings (>15 s). The dependent variable for multiple logistic regression analysis was duration of arousal (0 = 3–11 s, 1 = >11 s); the independent variables were event (0 = H, 1 = A), event duration (0 = 10–20 s, 1 = >20 s), sleep stage (0 = REM, 1 = NREM 1–2); minSaO[sub]2[/sub] (0 = 86%, 1 = 20 s with a minSaO[sub]2[/sub] 11 s.

Keywords: Arousal, Electroencephalography, Polysomnography, Regression Analysis, Sleep Apnea, Obstructive - diagnosis, Sleep Apnea, Obstructive - physiopathology, Sleep Stages - physiology, Time Factors, Wakefulness - physiology, Arousal, Electroencephalography, Polysomnography, Regression Analysis, Sleep Apnea, Obstructive - physiopathology, Sleep Stages - physiology, Time Factors, Wakefulness - physiology