Sleep disorder

About: Sleep disorder is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 19380 publications have been published within this topic receiving 884281 citations. The topic is also known as: somnipathy & non-organic sleep disorder.

Educational, supportive and behavioural interventions to improve usage of continuous positive airway pressure machines in adults with obstructive sleep apnoea

Abstract: Background Although effective in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is not universally accepted by users. Educational, supportive and behavioural interventions may help people with OSA recognise the need for regular and continued use of CPAP. Objectives To assess the effectiveness of strategies that are educational, supportive or behavioural in encouraging people who have been prescribed CPAP to use their machines. Search methods Searches were conducted on the Cochrane Airways Group Specialised Register of trials. Searches are current to 17 January 2013. Selection criteria We included randomised parallel controlled trials that assessed an intervention designed to inform participants about CPAP or OSA, to support them in using CPAP or to modify their behaviour in increasing their use of CPAP machines. Studies of any duration were considered. Data collection and analysis Two review authors assessed studies to determine their suitability for inclusion in the review. Data were extracted independently and were entered into Review Manager software for analysis. Main results Thirty studies (2047 participants) were included. We categorised studies by intervention type: supportive interventions during follow-up, educational interventions and behavioural therapy. Across all three intervention classes, most studies incorporated elements of more than one intervention. For the purposes of this systematic review, we categorised them by the prevailing type of intervention, which we expected would have the greatest impact on the study outcome. Baseline Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) scores indicated that most participants experienced daytime sleepiness, and CPAP was indicated on the basis of sleep disturbance indices. A vast majority of recruited participants had not used CPAP previously. Most of the studies were at an unclear risk of bias overall, although because of the nature of the intervention, blinding of both study personnel and participants was not feasible, and this affected a number of key outcomes. Adverse events were not reported in these studies. Low- to moderate-quality evidence showed that all three types of interventions led to increased machine usage in CPAP-naive participants with moderate to severe OSA syndrome. Compared with usual care, supportive ongoing interventions increased machine usage by about 50 minutes per night (0.82 hours, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.36 to 1.27, N = 803, 13 studies; low-quality evidence), increased the number of participants who used their machines for longer than four hours per night from 59 to 75 per 100 (odds ratio (OR) 2.06, 95% CI 1.22 to 3.47, N = 268, four studies; low-quality evidence) and reduced the likelihood of study withdrawal (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.44 to 0.97, N = 903, 12 studies; moderate-quality evidence). With the exception of study withdrawal, considerable variation was evident between the results of individual studies across these outcomes. Evidence of an effect on symptoms and quality of life was statistically imprecise (ESS score -0.60 points, 95% CI -1.81 to 0.62, N = 501, eight studies; very low-quality evidence; Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire 0.98 units, 95% CI -0.84 to 2.79, N = 70, two studies; low-quality evidence, respectively). Educational interventions increased machine usage by about 35 minutes per night (0.60 hours, 95% CI 0.27 to 0.93, N = 508, seven studies; moderate-quality evidence), increased the number of participants who used their machines for longer than four hours per night from 57 to 70 per 100 (OR 1.80, 95% CI 1.09 to 2.95, N = 285, three studies; low-quality evidence) and reduced the likelihood of withdrawal from the study (OR 0.67, 95% CI 0.45 to 0.98, N = 683, eight studies; low-quality evidence). Participants experienced a small improvement in symptoms, the size of which may not be clinically significant (ESS score -1.17 points, 95% CI -2.07 to -0.26, N = 336, five studies). Behavioural therapy led to substantial improvement in average machine usage of 1.44 hours per night (95% CI 0.43 to 2.45, N = 584, six studies; low-quality evidence) and increased the number of participants who used their machines for longer than four hours per night from 28 to 47 per 100 (OR 2.23, 95% CI 1.45 to 3.45, N = 358, three studies; low-quality evidence) but with high levels of statistical heterogeneity. The estimated lower rate of withdrawal with behavioural interventions was imprecise and did not reach statistical significance (OR 0.85, 95% CI 0.57 to 1.25, N = 609, five studies, very low-quality evidence). Authors' conclusions In CPAP-naive people with severe sleep apnoea, low-quality evidence indicates that supportive interventions that encourage people to continue to use their CPAP machines increase usage compared with usual care. Moderate-quality evidence shows that a short-term educational intervention results in a modest increase in CPAP usage. Low-quality evidence indicates that behavioural therapy leads to a large increase in CPAP machine usage. The impact of improved CPAP usage on daytime sleepiness, quality of life and long-term cardiovascular risks remains unclear. For outcomes reflecting machine usage, we downgraded for risk of bias and inconsistency. An additional limitation for daytime sleepiness and quality of life measures was imprecision. Trials in people who have struggled to persist with treatment are needed, as currently little evidence is available for this population. Optimal timing and duration and long-term effectiveness of interventions remain uncertain. The relationship between improved machine usage and effect on symptoms and quality of life requires further assessment. Studies addressing the choice of interventions that best match individual patient needs and therefore result in the most successful and cost-effective therapy are needed.

The genetic and molecular regulation of sleep: from fruit flies to humans.

Abstract: It has been known for a long time that genetic factors affect sleep quantity and quality. Genetic screens have identified several mutations that affect sleep across species, pointing to an evolutionary conserved regulation of sleep. Moreover, it has also been recognized that sleep affects gene expression. These findings have given valuable insights into the molecular underpinnings of sleep regulation and function that might lead the way to more efficient treatments for sleep disorders.

Sleepwalking and Sleep Terrors in Prepubertal Children: What Triggers Them?

Abstract: Objectives. To evaluate the clinical presentation and polysomnography of prepubertal children with repetitive sleep terrors and sleepwalking, to compare them with a control group, and to evaluate the treatment of associated sleep disorders. Methods. Patients with complaint of sleep terrors with or without sleepwalking were studied retrospectively. A control group was also recruited. Each subject received a standardized evaluation, which included the following: 1) Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire; 2) interview regarding child’s medical and sociofamilial history, orthodontic history, schooling, psychological difficulties, medication intake, and family history of medical and sleep disorders; 3) general pediatric physical examination and neurologic, otolaryngological, and craniofacial examination by a specialist; 4) obtaining medical history on variables relevant to early life sleep disorders; 5) polysomnography, which included electroencephalogram (EEG; C3/A2, Fp1/T1, T1/O1, O1/C3, C4/A1, Fp2/T2, T2/O2, O2/C4), chin and leg electromyelogram, right and left electro-oculogram, and electrocardiogram (modified V2 lead); respiration was monitored with a nasal cannula/pressure transducer system, mouth thermistor, chest and abdominal bands, pulse oximeter, and neck microphone; respiratory effort was monitored with calibrated esophageal manometry; variables were collected on a computerized sleep system; and 6) available family members with a positive history of sleep terrors and sleepwalking received clinical evaluations similar to those used for index cases; they also underwent ambulatory monitoring with an Edentrace system, which monitors heart rate, body position, oro-nasal flow, chest impedance, breathing noises (neck microphone), and pulse oximetry. Movements are deduced from artifact, and leg movements may be recorded on one channel if the equipment is preset for such recording. Subjects used logs to record “lights out” time, “lights on” time, nocturnal awakenings, and other events that occurred during the night. All original and follow-up recordings were rescored by 2 of 4 randomly selected specialists who were blind to subject identity. Mann-Whitney U test was used for group comparison. Nonparametric χ 2 test was used to compare percentages of symptoms in symptomatic children versus control children. Results. Eighty-four children (5 with sleep terrors and 79 with both sleep terrors and sleepwalking) and 36 normal control children formed the studied population. All subjects were Tanner stage 1 (prepubertal). None of the control children had any parasomnias. Fifty-one (61%) of 84 children with parasomnia had a diagnosis of an additional sleep disorder: 49 with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and 2 with restless leg syndrome (RLS). Twenty-nine of the children with both parasomnia and SDB had a positive family history of parasomnias, and 24 of the 29 also had a positive family history of SDB. Of the 51 children with associated sleep disorders, 45 were treated. Forty-three of 49 children with SDB were treated with tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy, and/or turbinate revision, and 2 of 2 children with RLS were treated with Pramipexole, a dopamine agonist, at bedtime. Treatment of the precipitating sleep disorder eliminated parasomnias in all 45 children. In all 43 children who received surgery, polysomnography performed 3 to 4 months later indicated the disappearance of SDB. The recordings also showed an absence of confusional arousals. The number of EEG arousals significantly decreased from a mean of 9 ± 2.6 EEG arousals ≥3 seconds/hour during total sleep time to 3 ± 1.5. The number of EEG arousals ≥3 seconds during the first sleep cycle of slow wave sleep (stage 3–4 non–rapid eye movement sleep) decreased from 4 ± 1.4 to 1 ± 0.2. In all surgically treated cases, parents also reported subsequent absence of the parasomnia. The 2 symptomatic children who were treated with Pramipexole had a complete absence of confusional arousals on the follow-up recording and reported no parasomnia since treatment. The periodic limb movement syndrome arousal index (number of EEG arousals associated with periodic limb movement/hour) decreased from 11 and 16 to 0 and 0.2, respectively. Parasomnia persisted in the 6 children who were untreated for SDB. Surgeons had refused to perform surgery on these children because of lack of data on the relationship between parasomnia and SDB-related tonsil and adenoid enlargement. Conclusion. Children with chronic parasomnias may often also present SDB or, to a lesser extent, RLS. Furthermore, the disappearance of the parasomnias after the treatment of the SDB or RLS periodic limb movement syndrome suggests that the latter may trigger the former. The high frequency of SDB in family members of children with parasomnia provided additional evidence that SDB may manifest as parasomnias in children. Children with parasomnias are not systematically monitored during sleep, although past studies have suggested that patients with sleep terrors or sleepwalking have an elevated level of brief EEG arousals. When children receive polysomnographies, discrete patterns (eg, nasal flow limitation, abnormal respiratory effort, bursts of high θ or slow α EEG frequencies) should be sought; apneas are rarely found in children. Children’s respiration during sleep should be monitored with nasal cannula/pressure transducer system and/or esophageal manometry, which are more sensitive than the thermistors or thermocouples currently used in many laboratories. The clear, prompt improvement of severe parasomnia in children who are treated for SDB, as defined here, provides important evidence that subtle SDB can have substantial health-related significance. Also noteworthy is the report of familial presence of parasomnia. Studies of twin cohorts and families with sleep terror and sleepwalking suggest genetic involvement of parasomnias. RLS and SDB have been shown to have familial recurrence. RLS has been shown to have genetic involvement. It remains to be investigated whether a genetic factor directly influences sleep terror and sleepwalking or instead influences other disorders that fragment sleep and lead to confusional arousals. Additional studies are needed to investigate the association between SDB and non–rapid eye movement parasomnias in the general population.