Sleep is considered one of the vital signs and has become an important public health issue in our society. Thus, sleep impacts on overall health and, conversely, certain common medical conditions can impair sleep. Emerging evidence, in conjunction with clinical experience, demonstrates that physical therapy improves several sleep disorders and also optimized sleep contributes to boost rehabilitation. As health care professionals, physical therapists are singularly concerned with well-being and need to be competent to instruct their patients to rest and sleep.

This book discusses evidences of physiotherapy and sleep medicine. It elucidates the neurophysiological background and mechanisms for physiotherapeutic resources and techniques, directing the future for promising research in the area. Divided in seven sections, the work initially addresses the basic concepts of sleep and physiotherapy and its relation to practice, including the importance of sleep medicine for health. The second section focuses on the basic conceptions of physical therapists' understanding and working in clinical practice and research with sleep.The next section reviews the most common sleep disturbances such as insomnia, restless legs syndrome, and respiratory sleep disturbances. Special populations, spotlighting childhood and adolescence, women physiologic reproductive stages, sleep and gender, and sleep and pain interactions are also examined. Last sections discuss the physical therapy resources to improve sleep and to treat sleep disturbances.

This title is an essential resource not only for graduate students, residents, health professionals and physiotherapists working in prevention and rehabilitation, but also for researchers interested in screening, diagnostic and treatment innovations. It is addressed to neurologists, sleep medicine specialists and physical educators as well.

Part I. Basic Concepts. - 1. Sleep: definition, concept, new area for physical therapy

2. Normal Sleep: Interindividual Differences and Sleep Variability
3. Brief history of Sleep Medicine and its importance for overall health.- Part II. Sleep medicine for the physical therapist.- 4. Basic principles of physiotherapeutic sleep practice
5. Sleep physiology and neuroendocrinology for physiotherapists.- Part III. Physiotherapeutic management of sleep disturbances.- 6. Insomnia: an overview
7. Insomnia: Physiotherapeutic approach
8. Restless Legs Syndrome (Willis-Ekbom Disease) and Periodic Limb Movements of Sleep: an overview
9. Restless Legs Syndrome (Willis-Ekbom Disease) and Periodic Limb Movements of Sleep: Physiotherapeutic approach
10. Circadian rhythm sleep disturbances: an overview
11. Physical therapy in circadian rhythm disorders: chrono-rehabilitation?
12. Sleep bruxism: an overview
13. Sleep bruxism: Physiotherapeutic approach.- 14. Obstructive sleep apnea: an overview
15. Obstructive sleep apnea: Physiotherapeutic approach
16. Central sleep apnea: an overview
17. Central sleep apnea: Physiotherapeutic approach
18. Upper airway resistance syndrome: an overview
19. Upper airway resistance syndrome: Physiotherapeutic approach
20. Narcolepsy: an overview
21. Excessive daytime sleepiness: an overview
22. Narcolepsy and Excessive daytime sleepiness: Physiotherapeutic approach
23. Parassomnias: an overview.- Part IV. Sleep in specific conditions.- 24. Sleep-wake disturbances in childhood and adolescence
25. Sleep and aging
26. Sleep and gender differences
27. Sleep in neurologic diseases
28. Sleep and Chronic Pain Interlaced Influences: Guidance to physiotherapy practice.- Part V. Physiotherapeutic resources/methods/techniques to improve sleep.- 29. Exercise andsleep
30. Hydrotherapeutic resources for sleep management
31. Optimizing behavior strategies for sleep
32. Sleep ergonomics.- Part VI. Evidence from basic science and its contribution to physical therapy in sleep medicine.- 33. Basic research for sleep physiotherapy
34. Sleep and musculoskeletal system.- Part VII. Sleep assessment for physical therapy clinical practice.- 35. Subjective assessment of sleep
36. Objective assessment of sleep
37. Actigraphy.