Neurologic Manifestations of Systemic Disease: Sleep Disorders

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Sleep is intimately involved in overall health and wellbeing. We provide a comprehensive report on the interplay between systemic diseases and sleep to optimize the outcomes of systemic disorders. RECENT FINDINGS: Spanning the categories of endocrinologic disorders, metabolic/toxic disturbances, renal, cardiovascular, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, infectious diseases, autoimmune disorders, malignancy, and critical illness, the review highlights the prevalent coexisting pathology of sleep across the spectrum of systemic disorders. Although it is rare that treating a sleep symptom can cure disease, attention to sleep may improve quality of life and may mitigate or improve the underlying disorder. Recent controversies in assessing the cardiovascular relationship with sleep have called into question some of the benefits of treating comorbid sleep disorders, thereby highlighting the need for an ongoing rigorous investigation into how sleep interplays with systemic diseases. SUMMARY: Systemic diseases often have sleep manifestations and this report will help the clinician identify key risk factors linking sleep disorders to systemic diseases so as to optimize the overall care of the patient.