Effects of Sleep on the Pattern of C02 Stimulated Breathing in Males and Females

We have been interested for some while in the extent to which non-metabolic factors might interfere with the breathing pattern in conscious subjects under resting conditions and when breathing is stimulated by C02. The development of cognitive function in man, which greatly exceeds that of other species, means that behavioural factors in our species could be making a relatively large contribution to the C02 response during the waking state. The use of mouthpiece and nose clip for example, as Gilbert et al.1 have pointed out, induces considerable changes in the breathing pattern under resting conditions, and part of these effects could b e behavioural in type.