Sleep Quality, Psychologic Profiles, Cardiac Activity, and Salivary Biomarkers in Young Subjects with Different Degrees of Rhythmic Masticatory Muscle Activity: A Polysomnography Study

Aims: To investigate the objective and subjective characteristics of sleep and psychosomatic and physiologic variables in young subjects with different frequencies of rhythmic masticatory muscle activity (RMMA) during sleep. Methods: A total of 54 young (mean age 23.8 +/- 2.1 years), healthy subjects underwent polysomnographic (PSG) recordings for 2 nights. Sleep and psychosomatic states were assessed prior to PSG using validated questionnaires, and the following PSG variables were assessed before and after sleep: subjective sleep quality, physical symptoms, anxiety level, and salivary biomarkers. Second-night sleep and oromotor variables were scored according to standard criteria as well as the quantitative autonomic activity during the night. These variables were compared among the high- (H-RMMA, n = 21, mean RMMA index: 5.7 times/ hour) and low- (L-RMMA, n = 13, 2.6 times/hour) frequency RMMA and control (CTL, n = 20 subjects, 1.0 time/hour) groups. Results: Sleep and psychosomatic states did not differ among the three groups. No group differences were noted for nonrhythmic oromotor events. Sleep architecture did not differ among the three groups except for sleep latency being shorter (P = .008) and microarousal index being higher (P = .013) in the H-RMMA group. Mean heart rate during sleep was lower (Stage N2, P = .008; Stage N3, P = .036; Stage R, P = .045) in the H-RMMA group, but the heart rate variability did not differ among the three groups. Sleep quality and anxiety level before and after sleep did not differ among the three groups. Cortisol did not differ among the three groups, while chromogranin A in the morning was slightly lower in the L-RMMA group (median: 9.1 pmol/mg) than in the H-RMMA group (12.3 pmol/mg) (P = .049). Conclusion: In otherwise healthy subjects presenting normal physiologic variables, neither significant nor consistent differences in sleep architecture, psychologic states, heart rate variability, or salivary biomarkers in relation to the frequency of RMMA were found.