Sleep Disorders in Women: From Menarche Through Pregnancy to Menopause: A Guide for Practical Management

by Hrayr P. Attarian (Editor)

Overview

Increasing attention is currently being directed to a variety of health disorders that are either unique to or more common among women than men. This volume adds sleep disorders to the list of those in which important gender differences have been neglected. Sleep Disorders in Women: A Guide to Practical Management - plores the reasons for gender bias in this area of research and provides a comp- hensive and in-depth review of what is currently known and what still remains to be studied concerning this important topic. As several contributors to this volume indicate, numerous misconceptions exist due, not surprisingly, to a shortage of reliable data in the field. As an example, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is typically thought to be far more common in men than in women. However, as contributors to this volume carefully document, the prevalence of OSA in women varies considerably depending on the specific female population that is studied. It is low in premenopausal women, higher in postme- pausal women, particularly high in women with polycystic ovary syndrome, and of uncertain prevalence in pregnancy. This exemplifies the fact that as women move through varying hormonal environments including puberty, the menstrual cycle, use of oral contraceptives, pregnancy, the postpartum period, and menopause, their risk for a variety of sleep disorders varies considerably. As pointed out in Dr.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781617376658
Publisher:	Springer-Verlag New York, LLC
Publication date:	12/09/2010
Series:	Current Clinical Neurology
Edition description:	Softcover reprint of hardcover 1st ed. 2006
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.03(d)

Table of Contents

Overview.- Epidemiology of Sleep Disorders in Women.- Workup of Female Patients With Sleep Complaints.- The Impact of Life Cycle on Sleep in Women.- Normal Reproductive and Endocrine Life Stages and Their Impact on Different Sleep Disorders.- Adolescents.- Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome in Adolescents.- Defining, Assessing, and Treating Adolescent Insomnia and Related Sleep Problems.- Premenopausal Women.- Restless Legs Syndrome.- Nonhormonal Treatments for Insomnia.- Obstructive Sleep Apnea-Hypopnea Syndrome in Premenopausal Women.- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Obstructive Sleep Apnea.- Women and Excessive Daytime Sleepiness.- Parasomnias From a Woman’s Health Perspective.- Pregnancy.- Restless Legs Syndrome in Pregnancy.- Evaluating Insomnia During Pregnancy and Postpartum.- Pregnancy and Obstructive Sleep Apnea.- Menopause.- Restless Legs Syndrome and Menopause.- Insomnia During Menopause.- Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Menopause.

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Katherine M. Sharkey, MD, PhD (Rush University Medical Center)
Description: This book's 19 chapters addressing epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of sleep disorders, with a special focus on the role that sex and endocrine differences play in the phenomenology and management of these conditions. The book is divided into five sections: an overview, and four sections concentrating on sleep during different stages of the female life cycle: adolescence, premenopause, pregnancy, and postmenopause.
Purpose: The editor's stated objectives are to help clinicians recognize sleep disorders in their female patients, guide in their diagnosis and treatment, and help to eliminate gender bias in sleep medicine practice and research.
Audience: According to the editor, the target audience is general: primary care physicians and other primary healthcare providers. However the book is more likely to benefit a more specialized audience, including those who treat women exclusively, e.g., obstetrician/gynecologists, and clinicians whose practices are focused on sleep medicine. The chapter authors are well respected clinicians and researchers including several internationally known experts. The authors represent a variety of specialties reflecting the multidisciplinary nature of sleep medicine.
Features: The book provides excellent overviews of the common (i.e., insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea) and more unusual (i.e., sleep related eating disorder) sleep disorders, as well as conditions that affect women exclusively, such as pregnancy and polycystic ovary syndrome. Particular attention is paid to how sleep disorders affect women uniquely. The book also emphasizes treatment approaches that are appropriate for different stages of the female life cycle, for instance, pregnancy and menopause. Chapters that address the same condition at different stages of the life cycle are complementary and not redundant. Most figures are helpful and add to the text.
Assessment: This would be a useful book for clinicians whose patient population consists mostly of women or patients with sleep complaints. It is well written and up to date and represents a worthy effort to close the gaps in our knowledge of sleep disorders in women.

Doody's Review Service