The aim of this study was to evaluate daytime and nighttime sleep, as well as daytime and nighttime sleepiness of professional shift-working bus drivers. Thirty-two licensed bus drivers were assessed by nocturnal and diurnal polysomnography (PSG) recording and multiple sleep latency testing (MSLT) sessions. Sleep length was shorter and sleep efficiency reduced during daytime sleep compared with nighttime sleep. Thirty-eight percent of the drivers had indices of obstructive apnea and hypopnea syndrome (>5/h sleep) during nighttime and daytime sleep; more drivers snored during daytime than nighttime sleep (50% vs. 35%, p < 0.05), and 38% of the drivers evidenced periodic leg movements. The MSLT revealed that 42 and 38% of the bus drivers met the criteria for sleepiness when the test was conducted during the day and night, respectively. The daytime as compared to nighttime sleep of shift-working bus drivers was shorter and more fragmented and was associated in many with evidence of excessive sleepiness. Respiratory disorder was a common finding among the professional shift-working bus drivers. All these sleep deficiencies may adversely affect on the job driving performance.

Data collected from medical literature indicate that dopaminergic agonists alleviate Restless Legs Syndrome symptoms while dopaminergic agonists antagonists aggravate them. Dopaminergic agonists is a physiological regulator of thyroid-stimulating hormone. Dopaminergic agonists infusion diminishes the levels of thyroid hormones, which have the ability to provoke restlessness, hyperkinetic states, tremors, and insomnia. Conditions associated with higher levels of thyroid hormones, such as pregnancy or hyperthyroidism, have a higher prevalence of Restless Legs Syndrome symptoms. Low iron levels can cause secondary Restless Legs Syndrome or aggravate symptoms of primary disease as well as diminish enzymatic activities that are involved in dopaminergic agonists production and the degradation of thyroid hormones. Moreover, as a result of low iron levels, dopaminergic agonists diminishes and thyroid hormones increase. Iron therapy improves Restless Legs Syndrome symptoms in iron deprived patients. Medical hypothesis. To discuss the theory that thyroid hormones, when not counterbalanced by dopaminergic agonists, may precipitate the signs and symptoms underpinning Restless Legs Syndrome. The main cause of Restless Legs Syndrome might be an imbalance between the dopaminergic agonists system and thyroid hormones.

Adenotonsillar hypertrophy leads to more severe polysomnographic patterns in preschool-age children. More severe apnea is observed in younger children with adenotonsillar hypertrophy than in older ones.

Physical exercise may improve sleep patterns and reduce PLM levels. The correlation between beta-endorphin release after acute intensive exercise and PLM levels might be associated with the impact physical exercise has on the opiodergic system. We suggest that physical exercise may be a useful nonpharmacological treatment for PLM.

Altered sleep patterns are prominent in the majority of psychiatric disorders. This article examines the psychiatric disorders that are most often associated to sleep dysfunction as it is related in clinical practice and describes the polysomnographic findings. Patient's main complaints are related to difficulty in initiating and maintaining sleep (initial or middle insomnia, respectively) and poor quality of sleep. Early awakening or terminal insomnia is most described in the depressive conditions. Hypersomnia may be the main symptom in some depressive disorders, as seasonal depression, depression with atypical features or depressive episodes in bipolar disorder. Polysomnographic evaluation shows, in general, a significative reduction in the efficiency and total time of sleep, in detriment to the amount of slow wave sleep. The reduction of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep latency is mainly described for the depression, but has also been reported in other psychiatric disorders.