Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Clinical Trial
. 1998 Feb 21;316(7131):587-9.
doi: 10.1136/bmj.316.7131.587.

Effect of temazepam on oxygen saturation and sleep quality at high altitude: randomised placebo controlled crossover trial

G Dubowitz  1
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Effect of temazepam on oxygen saturation and sleep quality at high altitude: randomised placebo controlled crossover trial

G Dubowitz. BMJ. .

Abstract

Objective: To determine the effects of temazepam on the quality of sleep and on oxygen saturation during sleep in subjects at high altitude.

Design: Randomised, blinded, crossover, placebo controlled trial.

Setting: Base camp at Mount Everest (altitude 5300 m).

Subjects: 11 members of British Mount Everest Medical Expedition recently arrived at base camp.

Intervention: Participants were randomly allocated to receive either temazepam 10 mg or placebo on their first night at base camp and the other treatment on the second night.

Main outcome measures: Quality of sleep (assessed subjectively), mean arterial oxygen saturation value, and changes in saturation values (as measure of periodic breathing) while participants taking temazepam or placebo.

Results: All participants noted subjective improvements in sleep. Mean saturation value remained unchanged when temazepam was compared with placebo (74.65% v 75.70%, P = 0.5437). There were fewer changes in oxygen saturation when participants took temazepam and when measured as decreases > 4% below the mean value of saturation each hour (P = 0.0036, paired Student's t test (two tailed)).

Conclusions: Participants taking temazepam at 5300 m showed no significant drop in mean oxygen saturation values during sleep. Both the number and severity of changes in saturation during sleep decreased and the quality of sleep improved. This may be a result of a reduction in the number of awakenings and might lead to greater respiratory stability and fewer episodes of periodic breathing. This has the effect of improving the quality of sleep and reducing the number of periods of desaturation during sleep.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure
Figure
Arterial oxygen saturation during 8 hours of sleep in one participant while taking placebo or temazepam. Each horizontal bar represents 1 hour of sleep
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Barcroft J. The respiratory function of the blood, part 2. Lessons from high altitude. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1925.
    1. Ravenhill TH. Some experiences of mountain sickness in the Andes. J Trop Med Hyg. 1913;16:313–320.
    1. Anholm JD, Powles AC, Downey R, Houston CS, Sutton JR, Bonnet MH, et al. Operation Everest. II. Arterial oxygen saturation during sleep at extreme altitude. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1992;145:817–826. - PubMed
    1. Weil JV. Sleep at high altitude. Clin Chest Med. 1985;6:615–621. - PubMed
    1. Reite M, Jackson D, Cahoon RL, Weil JV. Sleep physiology at high altitude. Electroencephalogr Clin Neuophysiol. 1975;38:463–471. - PubMed

Publication types