Prevalence of sleep disturbance and hypnotic medication use in relation to sociodemographic factors in the general Japanese adult population. (1/38)

This study was the first nationwide population-based study to estimate the prevalence rates of sleep disturbance and hypnotic medication use in the general Japanese adult population. In 1997, 2,800 Japanese adults aged 20 years and over were randomly selected from the 1995 Census and 1,871 were examined using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. The respective estimated overall prevalences of insomnia (INS), difficulty initiating sleep (DIS), difficulty maintaining sleep (DMS), poor perceived quality of sleep (PQS) and hypnotic medication use (HMU) were 17.3%, 8.6%, 12.9%, 17.8%, and 3.5% in males and 21.5%, 12.6%, 16.2%, 20.2% and 5.4% in females. Among males, DIS (OR = 2.76) and PQS (OR = 2.12) were associated with never having married. DMS was associated with being 60 years and older (OR = 2.68) or divorced/separated (OR = 3.74). Among females, DMS was associated with being widowed (OR = 1.65), unemployed (OR = 1.60), 40 to 59 years old (OR = 0.57) or never having married (OR = 0.39). DIS was associated with being widowed (OR = 1.67) or unemployed (OR = 1.58). HMU was associated with advancing age (OR = 8.26-10.7), being widowed (OR = 2.12) or never having married (OR = 2.84). PQS was associated with advancing age (OR = 0.63-0.50). Our study showed sleep disturbance and hypnotic medication use were prevalent among Japanese adults and some sociodemographic factors contributed to them.  (+info)

Parasomnias. (2/38)

Parasomnias are common in the benign forms such as sleepwalking and sleep talking. The more dramatic forms such as sleep terrors and confusional awakenings occur frequently in childhood, but attenuate in the teen years. REM behavior disorder, seen in the elderly, is an uncommon entity. Generally diagnosis is based upon clinical history with sleep studies reserved for unusual presentation. The focus of treatment is attention to sleep hygiene with medication(s) reserved for more severe and repetitive cases.  (+info)

Medication for sleep-wake disorders. (3/38)

Medication is indicated for only a limited number of children's sleep disorders. However, correctly chosen and supervised, pharmacological treatment may be justified and helpful. For a given sleep problem it is important to identify the underlying cause (or sleep disorder) which often calls for treatment of a non-medication type. Where medication is appropriate, cautious use and careful review of the child's physical and psychological state is essential in view of the limited information available on effectiveness and possible short and long term effects. It follows that much further research is required to establish the part medication can play in the care of children with sleep disorders, and also to define the possible effects on sleep and wakefulness of other drugs used in clinical practice.  (+info)

Parasomnias and sleep disordered breathing in Caucasian and Hispanic children - the Tucson children's assessment of sleep apnea study. (4/38)

BACKGROUND: Recent studies in children have demonstrated that frequent occurrence of parasomnias is related to increased sleep disruption, mental disorders, physical harm, sleep disordered breathing, and parental duress. Although there have been several cross-sectional and clinical studies of parasomnias in children, there have been no large, population-based studies using full polysomnography to examine the association between parasomnias and sleep disordered breathing. The Tucson Children's Assessment of Sleep Apnea study is a community-based cohort study designed to investigate the prevalence and correlates of objectively measured sleep disordered breathing (SDB) in pre-adolescent children six to 11 years of age. This paper characterizes the relationships between parasomnias and SDB with its associated symptoms in these children. METHODS: Parents completed questionnaires pertaining to their child's sleep habits. Children had various physiological measurements completed and then were connected to the Compumedics PS-2 sleep recording system for full, unattended polysomnography in the home. A total of 480 unattended home polysomnograms were completed on a sample that was 50% female, 42.3% Hispanic, and 52.9% between the ages of six and eight years. RESULTS: Children with a Respiratory Disturbance Index of one or greater were more likely to have sleep walking (7.0% versus 2.5%, p < 0.02), sleep talking (18.3% versus 9.0%, p < 0.006), and enuresis (11.3% versus 6.3%, p < 0.08) than children with an Respiratory Disturbance Index of less than one. A higher prevalence of other sleep disturbances as well as learning problems was observed in children with parasomnia. Those with parasomnias associated with arousal were observed to have increased number of stage shifts. Small alterations in sleep architecture were found in those with enuresis. CONCLUSIONS: In this population-based cohort study, pre-adolescent school-aged children with SDB experienced more parasomnias than those without SDB. Parasomnias were associated with a higher prevalence of other sleep disturbances and learning problems. Clinical evaluation of children with parasomnias should include consideration of SDB.  (+info)

'Nocturnal groaning': just a sound or parasomnia? (5/38)

We describe the clinical and polysomnographic characteristics of 12 patients complaining of expiratory groaning during sleep. Groaning occurred almost exclusively during rapid eye movement sleep. We reviewed all the literature cases, obtaining a total sample of 27 patients. There is no evident association with any predisposing factors or underlying disease. The results obtained from empirical treatment, including drugs and CPAP, are unsatisfactory. The origins of nocturnal groaning, as well as the long-term prognosis, remained unexplained.  (+info)

Dyssomnias and parasomnias in early childhood. (6/38)

OBJECTIVES: Our aim for this study was to determine the prevalence of dyssomnias and various parasomnias in early childhood and to describe their temporal evolution, gender differences, and correlates. METHODS: This research is part of a longitudinal study of child development. A randomized, 3-level, stratified survey design was used to study a representative sample of infants who were born in 1997-1998 in the province of Quebec (Canada). When the children were 2.5 years of age, 1997 families agreed to be interviewed. The presence of dyssomnias or parasomnias was obtained from a self-administered questionnaire that was completed by the mother at each round of measures. RESULTS: The percentage of children with frequent night wakings decreased steadily from 36.3% at age 2.5 to 13.2% at age 6. Similarly, the percentage of children who had difficulty falling asleep at night decreased significantly from 16.0% at ages 3.5 and 4 to 10% at age 5 and to 7.4% at age 6. The overall prevalence of each parasomnia for the period studied was as follows: somnambulism, 14.5%; sleep terrors, 39.8%; somniloquy, 84.4%; enuresis, 25.0%; bruxism, 45.6%; and rhythmic movements, 9.2%. Persistent somnambulism at age 6 was significantly correlated with sleep terrors and somniloquy. Persistent sleep terrors at age 6 were also correlated with somniloquy. Finally, persistent sleep terrors at age 6 were correlated with frequent night wakings. Separation anxiety was associated with persistent night wakings and with somnambulism, bruxism, sleep terrors, and somniloquy. CONCLUSIONS: There is a high prevalence of night wakings and sleep-onset difficulties in preschool children. Parasomnias are highly prevalent in early childhood and are associated with separation anxiety. However, they have little impact on sleep duration.  (+info)

Sleep and sex: what can go wrong? A review of the literature on sleep related disorders and abnormal sexual behaviors and experiences. (7/38)

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To formulate the first classification of sleep related disorders and abnormal sexual behaviors and experiences. DESIGN: A computerized literature search was conducted, and other sources, such as textbooks, were searched. RESULTS: Many categories of sleep related disorders were represented in the classification: parasomnias (confusional arousals/sleepwalking, with or without obstructive sleep apnea; REM sleep behavior disorder); sleep related seizures; Kleine-Levin syndrome (KLS); severe chronic insomnia; restless legs syndrome; narcolepsy; sleep exacerbation of persistent sexual arousal syndrome; sleep related painful erections; sleep related dissociative disorders; nocturnal psychotic disorders; miscellaneous states. Kleine-Levin syndrome (78 cases) and parasomnias (31 cases) were most frequently reported. Parasomnias and sleep related seizures had overlapping and divergent clinical features. Thirty-one cases of parasomnias (25 males; mean age, 32 years) and 7 cases of sleep related seizures (4 males; mean age, 38 years) were identified. A full range of sleep related sexual behaviors with self and/or bed partners or others were reported, including masturbation, sexual vocalizations, fondling, sexual intercourse with climax, sexual assault/rape, ictal sexual hyperarousal, ictal orgasm, and ictal automatism. Adverse physical and/or psychosocial effects from the sleepsex were present in all parasomnia and sleep related seizure cases, but pleasurable effects were reported by 5 bed partners and by 3 patients with sleep related seizures. Forensic consequences were common, occurring in 35.5% (11/31) of parasomnia cases, with most (9/11) involving minors. All parasomnias cases reported amnesia for the sleep-sex, in contrast to 28.6% (2/7) of sleep related seizure cases. Polysomnography (without penile tumescence monitoring), performed in 26 of 31 parasomnia cases, documented sexual moaning from slow wave sleep in 3 cases and sexual intercourse during stage 1 sleep/wakefulness in one case (with sex provoked by the bed partner). Confusional arousals (CAs) were diagnosed as the cause of "sleepsex" ("sexsomnia") in 26 cases (with obstructive sleep apnea [OSA] comorbidity in 4 cases), and sleepwalking in 2 cases, totaling 90.3% (28/31) of cases being NREM sleep parasomnias. REM behavior disorder was the presumed cause in the other 3 cases. Bedtime clonazepam therapy was effective in 90% (9/10) of treated parasomnia cases; nasal continuous positive airway pressure therapy was effective in controlling comorbid OSA and CAs in both treated cases. All five treated patients with sleep related sexual seizures responded to anticonvulsant therapy. The hypersexuality in KLS, which was twice as common in males compared to females, had no reported effective therapy. CONCLUSIONS: A broad range of sleep related disorders associated with abnormal sexual behaviors and experiences exists, with major clinical and forensic consequences.  (+info)

The treatment of parasomnias with hypnosis: a 5-year follow-up study. (8/38)

STUDY OBJECTIVES: This study involves a replication and extension of a previous one reported by Hurwitz et al (1991) on the treatment of certain parasomnias with hypnosis. METHODS: Thirty-six patients (17 females), mean age 32.7 years (range 6-71). Four were children aged 6 to 16. All had chronic, "functionally autonomous" (self-sustaining) parasomnias. All underwent 1 or 2 hypnotherapy sessions and were then followed by questionnaire for 5 years. RESULTS: Of the 36 patients, 45.4% were symptom-free or at least much improved at the 1-month follow-up, 42.2% at the 18-month follow-up, and 40.5% at the 5-year follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: One or 2 sessions of hypnotherapy might be an efficient first-line therapy for patients with certain types of parasomnias.  (+info)