ABFM Sleep Medicine study guide

ABFM Sleep Medicine · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.

The Certificate of Added Qualification (CAQ) in Sleep Medicine is a subspecialty credential offered by the American Board of Family Medicine in conjunction with the American Boards of Internal Medicine, Psychiatry and Neurology, Pediatrics, and Otolaryngology. It recognizes fellowship training and knowledge in the diagnosis and management of clinical conditions that occur during sleep, that disturb sleep, or that are affected by disturbances in the wake-sleep cycle. The ABFM Sleep Medicine study guide has 3 sections and about 1,011 words.

Diagnosis and Management of Clinical Conditions That Occur During Sleep

This domain covers disorders whose defining events happen in sleep: obstructive and central sleep apnea, sleep-related hypoventilation, parasomnias (NREM arousal disorders, REM sleep behavior disorder, sleepwalking, sleep terrors, nightmares), sleep-related movement disorders (periodic limb movement disorder, restless legs syndrome, bruxism, rhythmic movement disorder), and sleep-related epilepsy. The candidate must know the diagnostic architecture: the ICSD-3 categories, the Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) and oxygen desaturation index thresholds, and the AASM scoring rules for hypopneas (≥30% flow reduction with ≥3% desaturation or an arousal).

365 words, about 2 min 02

Diagnosis and Management of Clinical Conditions That Disturb Sleep

Here the primary disorder is elsewhere and sleep is the casualty: insomnia disorder, psychiatric illness (depression, anxiety, PTSD), chronic pain, nocturia, GERD, asthma/COPD, heart failure, thyroid disease, menopause, pregnancy, medications and substances (stimulants, steroids, beta-blockers, SSRIs, alcohol, caffeine, cannabis), and primary insomnia comorbid with medical disease. The candidate must distinguish insomnia disorder (difficulty initiating/maintaining sleep or early awakening with daytime impairment ≥3 nights/week for ≥3 months) from short-term insomnia and from sleep deprivation.

303 words, about 2 min 03

Diagnosis and Management of Clinical Conditions Affected by Disturbances in the Wake-Sleep Cycle

This domain concerns circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders and the consequences of misaligned or insufficient sleep on other diseases: delayed sleep-wake phase disorder, advanced sleep-wake phase disorder, shift work disorder, jet lag, irregular sleep-wake rhythm, non-24-hour sleep-wake rhythm (common in blind individuals), and the effects of sleep loss on obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, mood, cognition, and seizure control. The candidate must understand circadian biology (light as the dominant zeitgeber, melatonin as a phase marker) and the two-process model of sleep regulation.

343 words, about 2 min