Unit of Sleep

Sleep disorders are problems related to sleeping and include difficulties falling asleep or staying asleep, falling asleep at inappropriate times during the day, and abnormal behaviour while sleeping. These disorders are perhaps a global epidemic, affecting approximately 40% of the population and can negatively impact patients’ quality of life, hindering their work and school performance and affecting their social, family and marital relationships. These disorders are associated with cardiovascular risk factors (obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, dyslipidaemia), cardiovascular diseases (heart attack, stroke), neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, Parkinson’s disease), respiratory diseases (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), heart disease (heart failure), mental health disorders (generalized anxiety, depression) and traffic and occupational accidents. The most common sleep disorders are insufficient sleep at night (35%), snoring (25%), insomnia (30%), apnoea (13-20%), sleepwalking (10%), restless legs syndrome (7%), shift work (3%), REM sleep disorder (0.07%), and narcolepsy (0.03%).

 Currently, the unit provides care in 1) the outpatient clinic, 2) the day hospital, 3) together with complementary sleep tests in diagnostic areas where sleep tests are performed and patients are also treated, and 4) surgical procedures.