Handbook of Sleep Disorders in Medical Conditions reviews the current knowledge on the nature and manifestations of sleep disorders associated with a variety of common medical conditions, including epilepsy, traumatic brain injury and dementia. It also provides clinical guidelines on how to assess and treat them with pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions. Although the general principles of sleep medicine may be applied to some extent to patients with comorbid medical conditions, this book makes the case that an adaptive approach is warranted when considering the particularities of each condition.
In addition, clinicians must also be cautious when prescribing sleep medications as some pharmacological agents are known to exacerbate symptoms associated with the medical condition, such as cognitive deficits (i.e. difficulties with memory and attention) in cancer patients experiencing chemo brain, or in persons with neurologic conditions (e.g. mild cognitive impairment, dementia, stroke, brain injury). A differential approach to evaluating and treating sleep is thus warranted.
Josée Savard, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology at Université Laval and researcher at CHU de Québec-Université Laval Research Center and Université Laval Cancer Research Center (Québec, Canada). Her research projects are mainly centered on the psychological aspects of cancer and the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral interventions for improving patients’ quality of life. More specifically, over the past 20 years, she has worked on cancer-related insomnia and she is recognized as an international leader in the study of this issue. She has published extensively on epidemiological aspects of cancer-related insomnia and its non-pharmacological treatment, particularly the efficacy and accessibility of cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia. Her research program is financially supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute. In 2014, she received the Canadian Association of Psychosocial Oncology Award for Education Excellence and in 2015 she was elected fellow of the Canadian Psychological Association for her significant contribution to the advancement of the science of psychology.
Dr. Marie-Christine Ouellet is associate professor of psychology at Université Laval in Québec City (Canada) and a researcher at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration (CIRRIS). She completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Laval University, specializing on insomnia and fatigue associated with traumatic brain injury. She completed her clinical training in neuropsychology and clinical psychology at the Montreal Neurological Institute, the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, and the Institut de réadaptation en déficience physique de Québec. Her present research program is supported by grants from the Fonds de Recherche du Québec-Santé and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and pertains mainly to psychopathology (particularly depression, anxiety, insomnia, and fatigue) associated with traumatic brain injury in younger and older adults.
