Common Sleep Disorders in Adults: Diagnosis and Management
- PMID: 35426627
Common Sleep Disorders in Adults: Diagnosis and Management
Abstract
Sleep disorders are common in the general adult population and are associated with adverse effects such as motor vehicle collisions, decreased quality of life, and increased mortality. Patients with sleep disorders can be categorized into three groups: people with problems falling asleep, people with behavior and movement disturbances during sleep, and people with excessive daytime sleepiness. Insomnia, the most common sleep disorder, is defined by difficulty initiating sleep, maintaining sleep, or both, resulting in daytime consequences. Insomnia is diagnosed by history and is treated with cognitive behavior therapy, with or without medications. Rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder is characterized by increased muscle tone during rapid eye movement sleep, resulting in patients acting out their dreams with potentially harmful effects. Rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder is diagnosed by polysomnography and treated with melatonin or clonazepam. Restless legs syndrome is defined by an urge to move the legs that worsens when at rest. Restless legs syndrome is treated with gabapentin or dopamine agonists, depending on the severity. Narcolepsy is characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, sleep paralysis, and sleep hallucinations. Diagnosis is suggested by the history and can be confirmed with polysomnography and a multiple sleep latency test the following day. Narcolepsy is treated with behavior modifications and medications such as stimulants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, sodium oxybate, and pitolisant. Obstructive sleep apnea may be diagnosed in patients with excessive snoring and witnessed apneas and can be diagnosed using overnight polysomnography. Treatment consists of positive airway pressure therapy while sleeping in conjunction with weight loss.
Similar articles
-
Management of common sleep disorders.Am Fam Physician. 2013 Aug 15;88(4):231-8. Am Fam Physician. 2013. PMID: 23944726 Review.
-
[Sleep disorders in patients with a neurocognitive disorder].Encephale. 2022 Jun;48(3):325-334. doi: 10.1016/j.encep.2021.08.014. Epub 2021 Dec 14. Encephale. 2022. PMID: 34916075 Review. French.
-
Update on Research and Practices in Major Sleep Disorders: Part II-Insomnia, Willis-Ekbom Disease (Restless Leg Syndrome), and Narcolepsy.J Nurs Scholarsh. 2019 Nov;51(6):624-633. doi: 10.1111/jnu.12515. Epub 2019 Sep 16. J Nurs Scholarsh. 2019. PMID: 31524329 Review.
-
[Treatment of the neurological sleep disorders restless legs syndrome and narcolepsy].Z Arztl Fortbild Qualitatssich. 2001 Jan;95(1):23-6. Z Arztl Fortbild Qualitatssich. 2001. PMID: 11233489 German.
-
Narcolepsy in the older adult: epidemiology, diagnosis and management.Drugs Aging. 2003;20(5):361-76. doi: 10.2165/00002512-200320050-00005. Drugs Aging. 2003. PMID: 12696996 Review.
Cited by
-
The Interplay Between Sleep Disorders and Cardiovascular Diseases: A Systematic Review.Cureus. 2023 Sep 25;15(9):e45898. doi: 10.7759/cureus.45898. eCollection 2023 Sep. Cureus. 2023. PMID: 37885512 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Self-Reported Sleep Disturbance is an Independent Predictor of All-Cause Mortality and Respiratory Disease Mortality in US Adults: A Population-Based Prospective Cohort Study.Int J Public Health. 2023 Feb 14;68:1605538. doi: 10.3389/ijph.2023.1605538. eCollection 2023. Int J Public Health. 2023. PMID: 36865999 Free PMC article.
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Medical