Breathing-Related Sleep Disorders

Breathing-related sleep disorders is a term referring to a group of sleep disorders characterized by abnormal respiratory patterns or abnormal gas exchange during sleep, resulting in changes in sleep architecture and sleep duration. Breathing-related sleep disorders are important topics for psychiatrists and mental health workers because of the significant impact sleep has on daytime function and its links to anxiety and depression and associated cardiac and metabolic consequences. In addition, because sleep complaints can coexist or be an integral part of many mental health disorders, it is important to identify and treat organic causes of sleep disruption and apnea (i.e., cessation of breathing) in order to optimize patient outcomes. This entry discusses three major breathing-related sleep disorders: (1) obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), (2) ...

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