ABSTRACT
Adaptations to survive periods of limited access to oxygen should have been favored
along the evolution of vertebrates. Paradigmatic examples of this adaptation are the
diving animals, which can sustain prolonged and repetitive periods of anoxia. These
animals support what would be considered a severe gas imbalance in their internal
environment thanks to three main strategies: increased oxygen stores, resistance to
asphyxia, and reduced metabolic expenditure during the apneic intervals. However,
diving animals developed their abilities from very old life-sustaining responses that
should have been used on many other occasions. Humans with sleep apneas perhaps share
many physiological adaptations with diving animals. We review here the extent of such
similarities and offer clear evidence of its existence and suggest possible research
lines that could improve the clinical knowledge about this condition.
KEYWORD
:sleep apnea - diving apnea - diving reflexes