Institute for Continuing Education

Sleep Medicine: A Lively Introduction

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this module, you will be able to:

• OSA Expertise: Define obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and describe its current diagnostic criteria, pathophysiology, risk factors, and evidence-based treatment modalities including PAP therapy, oral appliances, positional therapy, and surgical interventions.
• Cardiovascular Complications: Analyze the bidirectional relationship between cardiovascular disease and sleep-disordered breathing, including the mechanisms linking OSA to cor pulmonale, systemic hypertension, atrial fibrillation, heart failure, and stroke.
• Sleep Disorders Spectrum: Identify and differentiate among the full spectrum of sleep disorders as classified in the ICSD-3, including parasomnias, central disorders of hypersomnolence, circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders, and sleep-related movement disorders, with emphasis on their clinical presentations, diagnostic approaches, and current treatment strategies.
• Insomnia Management: Evaluate chronic insomnia disorder using current diagnostic criteria, assess its prevalence and impact on health outcomes, and apply evidence-based treatment approaches including cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) and appropriate pharmacological interventions.
• Clinical Application: Interpret polysomnographic findings and apply scoring criteria according to current AASM guidelines for common sleep disorders, recognizing patterns indicative of various sleep pathologies and understanding their clinical implications.

Course Information

The following case history is an example of a healthcare worker’s introduction to sleep medicine. The setting is a clinic. The patient is a 32 year old male who appears fit and trim and quite healthy. He is accompanied by his wife, a young woman who despite looking fit, trim and healthy appears to be exhausted.