Irregular sleep-wake syndrome
Alternative names:
sleep-wake syndrome - irregular
Definition:
Irregular periods of sleep and wakefulness
often associated with shift workers and travelers who change
time zones frequently. This condition may be accompanied by
insomnia, sleepiness,
and malaise. Conditions
that cause irregular sleep include sleep apnea, depression,
restless leg syndrome, leg cramps, acute and chronic pain,
chronic conditions that affect breathing such as chronic lung
disease, asthma, and congestive heart failure, and nocturia
(the need to urinate frequently during the night, a symptom
often associated with prostate disease). See sleeping
difficulty and sleep
studies.
Information:
Normal sleep is comprised of various periods
of different types of sleep. In a typical night's sleep, each
of us normally experiences several of these forms of sleep.
If the combination or sequence of types of sleep is disrupted
by the factors above, the result is typically unrefreshing
sleep. While this happens on occasion to all of us, if it
occurs regularly, you should consult a physician .
Update Date: 02/09/00
Updated by: J. Gordon Lambert, MD, Associate Medical Director,
Utah Health Informatics and adam.com
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