Influence of head flexion and rotation on obstructive sleep apnea severity during supine sleep.

Head posture influences the collapsibility of the passive upper airway during anaesthesia. However, little is known about the impact of head posture during sleep. The objective of this study was to develop and validate an instrument to measure head posture during supine sleep and to apply this instrument to investigate the influence of head posture on obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) severity.

An emerging technology for the identification and characterization of postural-dependent obstructive sleep apnea.

Study Objectives: Body posture has a significant impact on the presence and severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The majority of polysomnography (PSG) systems have the capacity to categorize body (torso) posture as supine, left-lateral, right-lateral or prone, each within a 90-degree range. However, such broad categorization may limit the identification of subtle relationships between posture and OSA severity.