Sleep Neurology Glossary
100 terms total — 24 showing — Last updated 15 Sep 2026
multiple sleep latency test MSLT
Daytime sleep study measuring the tendency to fall asleep, used primarily to diagnose narcolepsy and assess excessive daytime sleepiness.
hypnopompic
Relating to the transitional state of consciousness occurring during awakening from sleep to full wakefulness.
hypnotic dependence
Physical or psychological reliance on sleep medications that impairs the ability to sleep without pharmaceutical assista...
ICSD-3
The International Classification of Sleep Disorders, Third Edition, the standard diagnostic manual for sleep medicine.
K-complex
Large amplitude, biphasic EEG waveform lasting at least 0.5 seconds that characterizes stage 2 NREM sleep.
maintenance of wakefulness test
Objective test measuring a patient's ability to stay awake during quiet, unstimulating conditions across multiple sessio...
microsleep
Brief episodes of sleep lasting 1-30 seconds that occur involuntarily during wakefulness, often in sleep-deprived indivi...
mixed sleep apnea
Sleep-disordered breathing characterized by apneas that begin as central events but transition to obstructive events wit...
MSLT
Standardized daytime sleep study measuring how quickly a patient falls asleep and enters REM sleep during scheduled naps...
multiple sleep latency test
Daytime sleep study measuring the tendency to fall asleep, used primarily to diagnose narcolepsy and assess excessive da...
MWT
Objective test measuring a patient's ability to stay awake in a quiet, comfortable setting during scheduled trials.
narcolepsy
A chronic neurological disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and sudden, uncontrollable episodes of fal...
NREM sleep
Non-rapid eye movement sleep comprising the deeper, more restorative phases of the sleep cycle.
obstructive sleep apnea
A sleep disorder characterized by repeated upper airway collapse during sleep, causing breathing interruptions.
oxygen desaturation
A decrease in blood oxygen saturation levels, commonly measured during sleep studies.
parasomnia
Category of sleep disorders involving abnormal behaviors, emotions, perceptions, or movements occurring during sleep or...
periodic limb movement disorder
Sleep disorder characterized by repetitive, involuntary leg movements during sleep that cause significant sleep disrupti...
PLM index
Measurement of periodic limb movements per hour of sleep, excluding movements associated with respiratory events.
polysomnography
Comprehensive overnight sleep study recording brain waves, breathing, heart rate, and muscle activity to diagnose sleep...
rapid eye movement density
Quantitative measure of eye movement frequency during REM sleep episodes, expressed as movements per minute.
RDI
Comprehensive measure of sleep-disordered breathing including apneas, hypopneas, and respiratory effort-related arousals...
REM rebound
An increase in REM sleep duration and intensity following a period of REM sleep deprivation or suppression.
REM sleep behavior disorder
Parasomnia characterized by loss of normal muscle atonia during REM sleep, causing patients to act out their dreams.
respiratory effort-related arousal
Sleep disruption caused by increased breathing effort that doesn't meet criteria for apnea or hypopnea but still fragmen...
restless legs syndrome
A neurological disorder characterized by an irresistible urge to move the legs, typically accompanied by uncomfortable s...