There sleep medicine is an important branch of medicine that deals with the study, diagnosis and therapy of sleep disorders, pathologies that are very widespread in the general population and which represent a particularly vast chapter of medicine. Proof of this is the fact that inside the International Classification of Sleep Disorders (ICSD, International Classification of Sleep Disorders) includes more than 80 different disorders that differ in various aspects, including diffusion and severity.
A particularly negative aspect of sleep disorders is that depending on their severity and duration they can lead to one decline in quality of life also causing general health problems.
For these reasons, those who suffer from insomnia or otherwise disturbed sleep should consult with their doctor who, once the situation has been assessed, could decide to send the patient to a specialized facility, such as a sleep medicine center at San Donato Group, one of the reference centers of the AISM (Italian Association of Sleep Medicine), as well as one of the European Centers recognized by European Sleep Research Society.
Sleep medicine is a particularly complex discipline which, depending on the specific cases, sees the intervention of various professional figures including neurologist, psychologist, psychiatrist, pulmonologist, general practitioner, paediatrician, etc.
Sleep medicine: what are the main disorders treated?
As mentioned previously, the list of sleep disorders is particularly extensive; among the most common ones we mainly remember theinsomniathe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (popularly known as sleep apnea), L’nocturnal enuresisThe sleepwalkingthe narcolepsy and the restless legs syndrome.
The most widespread sleep disorder is certainlyinsomnia, a problem of which there are various forms and which, in a nutshell, is characterized by a reduction in the quality and/or quantity of sleep; the insomniac patient is essentially unable to start sleeping normally or maintain it for the time necessary to rest adequately.
It is also quite common obstructive sleep apnea syndromea pathology which manifests itself with episodes of partial or total obstruction of the airways during sleep and which can cause, in the medium to long term, various health problems and a significant decline in the quality of life.
L’nocturnal enuresis it is a problem that mainly affects children aged between 5 and 10 years and is characterized by lack of bladder control with the consequence of wetting the bed or clothes during night rest.
Another disorder that mainly concerns the pediatric field is sleepwalking; In fact, those affected are mostly in the age range from 7 to 12 years. It tends to resolve spontaneously with growth.
A serious sleep disorder is narcolepsywhich is characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness (hypersomnia) which can manifest itself with sudden and irresistible sleep attacks.
It is neurological in nature restless legs syndrome, a disorder characterized by the fact that the subject feels the need to move his legs, a need often associated with discomfort, pain and tingling in the lower limbs; causes difficulty falling asleep and, in more serious cases, insomnia.
Sleep medicine: diagnostic tools and therapies
Sleep medicine makes use of various diagnostic tools and, given the complexity of many sleep disorders, it is not always easy to define the diagnosis. Among the most characteristic tests we particularly remember the polysomnographyL’actigraphyThe Multiple Sleep Latency TestThe maintenance of vigilance test etc.
Treatments for sleep disorders obviously vary based on the diagnostic results.
