[Respiratory problems during sleep].

Continuous recording of numerous physiological variables during the night has led to the discovery of various respiratory disorders occurring during sleep. The most important are: 1. central apneas, defined by excessive frequency of respiratory arrests of excessive duration, 2. obstructive apneas, characterized by marked obstruction at the level of the oropharynx with persistence of respiratory movements, 3. episodes of marked nocturnal hypoxemia, without apnea, in certain patients with chronic obstructive lung disease. The pathophysiology, clinical picture and possible therapeutic resources are analyzed for each of the respiratory disorders occurring during sleep.