• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.59-62
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• 2013

Alcohol has been used as sedatives historically. The effect of alcohol on sleep is different according to its dose, timing of ingestion, and drinking frequency. Sleep problems may play a role in the development and course of alcohol-related disorders. Insomnia in alcohol-dependent patients is common and early treatment of insomnia may reduce the rate of relapse. Sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, periodic limbs movement disorder, and altered circadian rhythm may be more frequent in this patients. Management of sleep and alcohol problems is important in treating alcohol-related disorder and sleep disorders, respectively.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.8-15
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• 2020

Sleep disorder in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is common and typically is associated with oxygen desaturation. The mechanisms of desaturation include hypoventilation and ventilation to perfusion mismatch. Despite the importance of sleep in patients with COPD, this topic is under-assessed in clinical practice. Impaired sleep quality is associated with more severe COPD and may contribute to worse clinical outcomes. Recent data have indicated that specific respiratory management of patients with COPD and sleep disordered breathing improves clinical outcomes. Clinicians managing patients with COPD should pay attention to and actively manage symptoms of comorbid sleep disorders. Management of sleep-related problems in COPD should particularly focus on minimizing sleep disturbance.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.17-22
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• 2005

Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is associated with increased cardiovascular and cerebrovascular morbidity. Epidemiological and clinic-based studies have shown that SDB is related to impaired glucose tolerance and increased insulin resistance, independent of obesity. Despite of a consistent association between SDB and impaired glucose-insulin metabolism, the mechanism underlying this relationship has not been fully elucidated. It is recognized that hypoxemia and hypercapnia that occur in SDB provoke sympathetic nervous activity and catecholamine, epinephrine and norepinephrine, and cortisol are released. Sympathetic hyperactivity and increased catecholamines can impair glucose homeostasis by increasing glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis, which can result in increased circulating insulin levels and increased risk of insulin resistance. A prospective study is needed to investigate the causal relationship between SDB and impaired glucose-insulin metabolism in a healthy population without diabetes, hypertension and obesity as etiologic risk factors.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.11-16
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• 2005

Sleep can be easily disrupted by variety of conditions. Most of medical illnesses could be a primary condition causing secondary insomnia. The common underlying mechanism of secondary insomnia is presumed to be stress effects on sleep. The assessment and treatment of secondary insomnia are often complicated. Establishing an causal inference between primary condition and insomnia is the key to assessment. However, it can be difficult even for experienced clinicians due to diagnostic ambiguity of secondary insomnia. Therefore, through medical evaluation and integrative understanding of primary condition is essential to manage secondary insomnia properly. Although treatment have been usually focused on the primary medical illnesses per se, nonpharmacologic interventions, such as sleep hygiene, might be effective in many cases.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.23-26
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• 2005

Bruxism is defined as 'diurnal or nocturnal parafunctional activity including clenching, bracing, gnashing, and grinding of the teeth'. Bruxism and clenching are two of the most common contributing factors in patients with temporomandibular disorders and craniofacial pain disorders. Even though many studies report the high prevalence of bruxism, its cause is still not clear. Occlusal interference has been regarded as a major etiologic factor. Nowadays, psychological stress and sleeping disorders are generally regarded as major possible etiologic factors. More than likely, the cause is multifactoral and overlapping, which makes it difficult for the practitioner to apply comprehensive and effective management strategies. Although dentists and psychologists generally believe that effective treatment is best achieved with a better understanding of the etiology of a given disorder, for now treatment for this type of disorder must proceed without a clear understanding of etiology. To overcome this obstacle, evidence-based comprehensive management protocols based on accumulated scientific findings should be provided. In this presentation, epidemiology, etiology, and the characteristics of bruxism are reviewed. Diagnostic procedures and management strategies focused on occlusal appliances and behavioral approaches are also discussed.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.5-10
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• 2005

Study in the field of sleep and memory has greatly expanded recently and the number of publications supporting the association between sleep and memory consolidation is rapidly growing. This study presents evidence related to sleep-dependent memory consolidation, ranging from behavioral task-performing studies to molecular studies, and several arguments against the association. Basic researches show that many genes are upwardly regulated during sleep and patterns of brain activation seen during daytime task training are repeated during subsequent REM sleep. Several electrophysiological studies demonstrate the correlation between spindle density increase following training and subsequent improvement in performing the training task. Overnight improvement or deterioration in task performance correlates with REM or SWS sleep. In the end, a lot of issues remain to be studied and discussed further in the future in spite of supporting evidence now available.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.90-97
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• 2001

The reason for exploring dreams is to understand the of patient's conflicts and unconscious motivation. Even if the therapeutic value of dreams is considerably faded these days, I can not deny that dreams are still very useful. From the beginning of human history, dreams have been an appealing subject for many people. In the past, dreams chiefly had the value of prophetic meaning, and in our tradition attention was paid to dreams in terms of good and bad dichotomy. Freud's discovery of the Unconscious and technical development of its exploration is reinforced by dream interpretation. In contemporary terms, although dreams are not the royal road to the Unconscious, they surely present a short-cut. I suggest that dreams as a treasure island of the Unconscious have a useful therapeutic value, and that stressing the importance of dreams is by no means anachronistic. I believe that practical sessions without dreams are like a river without bridges.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.11-17
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• 2001

In 2000, the number of people aged 65 and over increased to 3.37 million, accounting for 7.1% of the total population of South Korea. The elderly population will increase up to 19.3% in 2030. Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) seems to increase with age. More than 50-60% of old people complain of SDB-related signs and symptoms including awakening headache, excessive daytime sleepiness, fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, memory loss, personality changes, and depression. The influence of a mild degree of SDB upon the elderly is unclear, but moderate to severe SDB is well known to be associated with many diseases including hypertension, arrhythmia, myocardial infarction, stroke, dementia, and sudden death. Therefore, physicians should pay attention to elderly patients who complain of SDB related symptoms and signs that may not be normal signs of aging. Physicians need to become more sensitive to treat SDB in the elderly.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.140-146
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• 1997

Sleep-related breathing disorders, especially sleep apnea syndrome are complicated by neuropsychiatric dysfunction such as excessive daytime sleepiness, cognitive dysfunction, and depression. As the determinants of daytime sleepiness, sleep fragmentation is more influential than nocturnal hypoxia. Daytime sleepiness can be improved by continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or surgery in up to 95% of the treated subjects. Both sleepiness and nocturnal hypoxia would cause cognitive dysfunction. While impairments in attention and verbal memory are more related with sleepiness and prominent in mild to moderate sleep apnea syndrome (SAS), impairments in general intellectual function and executive function are more related with nocturnal hypoxia and prominent in severe SAS. Several cognitive deficits related with nocturnal hypoxia may be irreversible despite CPAP or surgical treatments. So, early detection and early appropriate treatment of SAS would prevent sleepiness and cognitive deterioration.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.5-9
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• 2004

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common disorder characterized by recurrent cessation of breathing due to complete or partial upper airway occlusion during sleep. The incompetent tone of palatal, pharngeal, and glossal muscles which fail to maintain airway patency during sleep causes narrowing of the airway dimension and increased resistance of breathing. The identification of the sites of upper airway obstruction in patients with OSA is important in understanding the pathogenesis and deciding the treatment modality of snoring and/or OSA. Various upper airway imaging modalities have been used to assess upper airway size and precise localization of the sites of upper airway obstruction during sleep. Dynamic imaging modalities enabled assessment of dimensional changes in the upper airway during respiration and sleep. This article focused on reviews of various upper airway imaging modalities, especially dynamic upper airway imaging studies providing important information on the pathogenesis of OSA.