Objective To evaluate the effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) on sleep apneas in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats.Methods Thirty adult male SD rats were randomly divided into two groups (15 rats in each group).The treatment group and the control group were injected intraperitoneally with paroxetine (10 mg · kg-1·d-1) and sterile distilled water (2 mL · kg-1 · d-1) for 7 days respectively.Parameters about sleep apnea and sleep structure were measured before and after the treatment.Results In the treatment group, there was a significant reduction of apnea index (AI) from (12.4±3.7) times/hour to (7.4±2.2) tmes/hour (P = 0.000).Both post sigh apnea index (PSAI) and spontaneous apnea index (SPAI) were decreased significantly (P = 0.000 and 0.021 respectively) in non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, but not in REM sleep.REM sleep was reduced from 8.6% to 8.0% (P = 0.013) and its latency was increased from (54.1±48.4) rain to (110.9±43.4) min (P = 0.001) in the treatment group,as well as the sleep-onset latency [from (20.7±9.1) rain to (30.0±15.7) rain, P = 0.038].Conclusion Paroxetine can reduce sleep apneas in SD rats during NREM sleep.Its effects on sleep structure include reducing REM time,increasing REM latency and sleep-onset latency.