Sleep Med Psychophysiol.
2000 Dec;7(2):79-83.
Sleep Apnea and Sleep Disturbances in Neurological Disorders
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Neurology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University Seoul, Korea.
Abstract
- Sleep disturbances are frequently associated with neurological disorders. Sleep disorders interfere with rehabilitation of patients with neurological disorders such as stroke and may increase the severity of their symptoms and recurrence rate of stroke. The treatment of sleep apnea syndrome is particularly omportant in managing patients with cerebral infarction of whom 50-80% have moderate to severe sleep apnea. Sleep apnea produces not only poor quality sleep but also excessive daytime sleepiness, fatigue and lack of energy. Sleep problems frequently found in patients with dementia are sleep-wake cycle abnormality, fragmentation of sleep, nocturnal insomnia, decreased slow wave sleep and REM sleep, and sleep disordered breathing. The management of sleep disturbances is very important for controlling symptoms such as nocturnal wandering and sundowning syndrome in patients with dementia. Parkinson's disease and epilepsy are other neurological disorders that may have sleep disturbaneces.
