Review on sleep disorders and their management

Sleep is a repetitive, dynamic and physiological activity which is considered as one of the most important parameters in assessing the quality of life and health status. Sleep disorders could be classified in six categories; 1) insomnia, 2) sleep related breathing disorders, 3) central disorders of hypersomnolence, 4) circadian rhythm sleep-wake up disorders, 5) parasomnias and 6) sleep related movement disorders. Insomnia is one of the most frequent type of sleep disorders, with the relative frequency of 10 % of the population as its chronic form and in 40 % in its mild form. Management of sleep disorders is an important issue and pharmacotherapy is one of the common therapeutic procedures. Various groups of drugs including agonists of benzodiazepine, melatonin, antidepressants, antipsychotic and histamine receptors are used for this purpose. Benzodiazepine agonists are the most widely used drugs, and the possible side effects, tolerance and their abuse should be considered in practice. Psychotherapy is also considered as a therapeutic strategy.