Sleep medicine
Sleep Medicine Overview: – Competence in sleep medicine requires understanding diverse disorders. – Insomnia has many causes and requires correct diagnosis for management. – The […]
Sleep Medicine Overview:
– Competence in sleep medicine requires understanding diverse disorders.
– Insomnia has many causes and requires correct diagnosis for management.
– The International Classification of Sleep Disorders (ICSD) was restructured in 1990.
– Basic medical training historically paid little attention to sleep problems.
– Various classification systems categorize sleep disorders differently.
History and Development of Sleep Medicine:
– Sleep medicine concept emerged in the second half of the 20th century.
– Sleep clinics and laboratories were founded in the US and western nations in the 1970s and 1980s.
– Most sleep doctors initially focused on disorders like sleep apnea.
– Recent research suggests a common link between mood and sleep disorders.
– Properly organized postgraduate training programs are still being defined in the United States.
Diagnosis, Treatment, and Impact of Sleep Disorders:
– Sleep disorders can be primary or secondary to mental disorders or general medical conditions.
– Treatment strategies may involve restoring normal circadian rhythmicity.
– Sleep deprivation has been linked to major accidents like the Exxon Valdez oil spill.
– Proper diagnosis and treatment of sleep disturbances are crucial.
– Sleep disorders often do not fit neatly into traditional classifications.
Training, Certification, and Global Initiatives in Sleep Medicine:
– Sleep medicine has become a recognized medical subspecialty in some countries.
– The World Federation of Sleep Research & Sleep Medicine Societies promotes sleep research and physician training worldwide.
– Polysomnography is a diagnostic tool used in sleep medicine.
– Sleep specialists are skilled in diagnosing and managing clinical conditions related to sleep disturbances.
– Sleep dentistry qualifies for board certification by the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine.
Diagnostic Methods, Treatments, and Specializations in Sleep Medicine:
– Polysomnography objectively records sleep stages and respiratory events.
– Normison (temazepam) is a benzodiazepine commonly prescribed for sleep disorders.
– Behavioral treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) are suggested for sleep problems.
– Imaging studies may be performed to evaluate neurodegenerative diseases.
– Home Sleep Tests (HST) can be performed in a patient’s home to identify obstructive sleep apnea.
Sleep medicine is a medical specialty or subspecialty devoted to the diagnosis and therapy of sleep disturbances and disorders. From the middle of the 20th century, research has provided increasing knowledge of, and answered many questions about, sleep–wake functioning. The rapidly evolving field has become a recognized medical subspecialty in some countries. Dental sleep medicine also qualifies for board certification in some countries. Properly organized, minimum 12-month, postgraduate training programs are still being defined in the United States. In some countries, the sleep researchers and the physicians who treat patients may be the same people.
| System | Respiratory system, cardiovascular system, nervous system |
|---|---|
| Significant diseases | Insomnia, sleep apnoea, narcolepsy |
| Significant tests | Sleep study |
| Specialist | Sleep medicine physician |
| Occupation | |
|---|---|
| Names | Physician |
Activity sectors | Medicine, Psychiatry |
| Description | |
Education required |
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The first sleep clinics in the United States were established in the 1970s by interested physicians and technicians; the study, diagnosis and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea were their first tasks. As late as 1999, virtually any American physician, with no specific training in sleep medicine, could open a sleep laboratory.
Disorders and disturbances of sleep are widespread and can have significant consequences for affected individuals as well as economic and other consequences for society. The US National Transportation Safety Board has, according to Charles Czeisler, member of the Institute of Medicine and Director of the Harvard University Medical School Division of Sleep Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, discovered that the leading cause (31%) of fatal-to-the-driver heavy truck crashes is fatigue related (though rarely associated directly with sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea), with drugs and alcohol as the number two cause (29%). Sleep deprivation has also been a significant factor in dramatic accidents, such as the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the nuclear incidents at Chernobyl and Three Mile Island and the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger.