ABPN Sleep Medicine study guide
ABPN Sleep Medicine · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The ABPN Sleep Medicine subspecialty examination is a certification exam offered by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, a member board of the American Board of Medical Specialties. It is intended for physicians trained in psychiatry or neurology who have completed subspecialty training in sleep medicine and are pursuing board certification in that field. The ABPN Sleep Medicine study guide has 10 sections and about 2,405 words.
01Normal Sleep and Sleep-Wake Mechanisms
Sleep is generated by the interaction of a circadian alerting signal (the suprachiasmatic nucleus, entrained by light via the retinohypothalamic tract) and a homeostatic sleep drive that accumulates with wakefulness. In the two-process model these are Process C and Process S; sleep propensity is greatest when circadian low and high homeostatic pressure coincide.
298 words, about 1 min02Sleep Evaluation and Testing
A thorough history covers sleep schedule, symptoms, bed partner observations, medications, and comorbidities. Validated instruments include the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (situational sleepiness), STOP-BANG (OSA risk), Insomnia Severity Index, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index.
296 words, about 1 min03Insomnia
Insomnia disorder requires difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep, or early awakening, with daytime consequences, occurring despite adequate opportunity, for at least 3 nights per week for 3 months. It is diagnosed clinically; PSG is not routine but is indicated when another sleep disorder is suspected.
279 words, about 1 min04Sleep-Related Breathing Disorders
OSA results from upper airway collapse during sleep, causing apneas/hypopneas, intermittent hypoxemia, and arousals. Risk factors include obesity, male sex, age, retrognathia, and adenotonsillar hypertrophy in children.
258 words, about 1 min05Hypersomnias of Central Origin
Narcolepsy type 1 features cataplexy and orexin deficiency; type 2 lacks cataplexy and has normal orexin. Symptoms include excessive daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, hypnagogic hallucinations, sleep paralysis, and disrupted nighttime sleep.
213 words, about 1 min06Circadian Rhythm Sleep-Wake Disorders
Delayed sleep phase disorder is common in adolescents: sleep onset and wake times are later than desired, with normal sleep when allowed to follow the internal clock. Advanced sleep phase disorder occurs in older adults with early bedtime and early awakening.
228 words, about 1 min07Parasomnias
Disorders of arousal include sleepwalking, sleep terrors, and confusional arousals. They arise from slow-wave sleep, often in the first third of the night, and are more common in children.
222 words, about 1 min08Sleep-Related Movement Disorders
RLS is a clinical diagnosis requiring an urge to move the legs, worse at rest and in the evening, relieved by movement. It is associated with iron deficiency, pregnancy, and renal disease.
200 words, about 1 min09Sleep in Other Medical, Neurologic, and Psychiatric Disorders
Depression commonly causes insomnia and early awakening; bipolar disorder carries risk of mania with sleep deprivation. Anxiety disorders cause sleep-onset difficulty.
199 words, under 1 min10Sleep in Special Populations and Pediatric Sleep Medicine
Children have high sleep needs that decline with age. Behavioral insomnia of childhood includes sleep-onset association and limit-setting types.
212 words, about 1 min