Sleep Disorders in Women Glossary of Terms

1. Causes of Fatigue Slideshow Pictures
2. Take the Sleep Quiz!
3. Foods That Help or Harm Your Sleep Slideshow Pictures

Airway: The path that air follows to get into and out of the lungs. The mouth and nose are...

Airway obstruction: Partial or complete blockage of the breathing passages to the lungs. C...

Antidepressant: Anything, and especially a drug, used to prevent or treat depression.

Anxiety: A feeling of apprehension and fear, characterized by physical symptoms such as pa...

Apnea: The absence of breathing (respiration).

Arthritis: Inflammation of a joint. When joints are inflamed they can develop stiffness, w...

Back pain: Pain felt in the low or upper back. Causes of pain in the low and upper back in...

Blood pressure: The blood pressure is the pressure of the blood within the arteries. It is...

Brain: The portion of the central nervous system that is located within the skull. It func...

Breathing: The process of respiration, during which air is inhaled into the lungs through ...

Caffeine: A stimulant compound found naturally in coffee, tea, cocoa (chocolate), and kola...

Calf: The belly or fleshy hind part of the back of the leg below the knee. The calf is mad...

Cardiovascular: Relating to the circulatory system, which comprises the heart and blood ve...

Cardiovascular disease: Disease affecting the heart or blood vessels.

Cataplexy: A debilitating condition in which a person suddenly feels weak and collapses at...

Chronic: In medicine, lasting a long time. A chronic condition is one that lasts 3 months ...

Circadian: Refers to events occurring within the span of a full 24-hour day, as in a circa...

Clinical depression: Depressed mood that meets the DSM-IV criteria for a depressive disord...

Congestive heart failure: Inability of the heart to keep up with the demands on it, with f...

Continuous positive airway pressure: See: CPAP.

CPAP: Continuous positive airway pressure. CPAP is an effective treatment for obstructive ...

Depression: An illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts and that affects the way...

Dizziness: Painless head discomfort with many possible causes including disturbances of ...

Dopamine: An important neurotransmitter (messenger) in the brain.

ECG: Electrocardiogram.

EEG: Electroencephalogram.

Estrogen: A female steroid hormone that is produced by the ovaries and, in lesser amounts,...

Excessive daytime sleepiness: A neurological disorder in which there is a sudden recurrent...

Fatigue: A condition characterized by a lessened capacity for work and reduced efficiency ...

FDA: Food and Drug Administration.

Food and Drug Administration: An agency within the US Public Health Service that provides ...

Gland: A group of cells that secrete a substance for use in the body. For example, the thy...

Grief: The normal process of reacting to a loss. The loss may be physical (such as a death...

Hangover: A common nonmedical term for the disagreeable physical effects following excessi...

Heart: The muscle that pumps blood received from veins into arteries throughout the body. ...

Heart failure: Inability of the heart to keep up with the demands on it and, specifically...

Heartburn: An uncomfortable feeling of burning and warmth occurring in waves rising up be...

High blood pressure: A repeatedly elevated blood pressure exceeding 140 over 90 mmHg. Chro...

Hormone: A chemical substance produced in the body that controls and regulates the activit...

Hot flashes: A sudden wave of mild or intense body heat caused by rushes of hormonal chang...

Hygiene: The science of preventive medicine and the preservation of health. Also commonly ...

Hypnagogic: Concerning the drowsiness one commonly feels before sleep, the transitional st...

Infant: A young baby, from birth to 12 months of age.

Insomnia: The perception or complaint of inadequate or poor-quality sleep due to a number ...

Laboratory: A place for doing tests and research procedures, and for preparing chemicals a...

Leg: In popular usage, the part of the body from the top of the thigh down to the foot, an...

Limb: An arm or a leg.

Low back pain: Pain in the lower back area that can relate to problems with the lumbar spi...

Melatonin: A hormone that is produced by the pineal gland and is intimately involved in re...

Memory: 1. The ability to recover information about past events or knowledge. ...

Menopause: The time in a woman's life when menstrual periods permanently stop; it is also...

Menstrual: Pertaining to menstruation (the menses), as in last menstrual period, menstrua...

Menstrual cycle: The monthly cycle of changes in the ovaries and the lining of the uteru...

Modafinil: An oral drug first approved by the FDA in 1998 for the treatment of narcolepsy,...

Mouth: 1. The upper opening of the digestive tract, beginning with the lips and con...

Muscle: Muscle is the tissue of the body which primarily functions as a source of power. T...

Narcolepsy: A neurological disorder that is marked by the recurrent, sudden, uncontrollabl...

Nasal: Having to do with the nose.

Neurological: Having to do with the nerves or the nervous system as, for example, a neurol...

Neurology: The medical specialty concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of disorders o...

Neurotransmitter: A chemical that is released from a nerve cell which thereby transmits an...

Nicotine: An alkaloid (a nitrogen-containing chemical) made by the tobacco plant or produc...

Night sweats: Severe hot flashes that occur at night and result in a drenching sweat. Nigh...

Nose: The external midline projection from the face. The purpose of the nose is to warm, c...

Obese: Well above ones normal weight. A person has traditionally been considered to be obe...

Obstruction: Blockage of a passageway. See, for example: Airway obstruction; Intestinal o...

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA): Sleep apnea is a breathing disorder characterized by brief ...

Onset: In medicine, the first appearance of the signs or symptoms of an illness as, for ex...

Operation: In medicine, a surgical procedure. Many operations are named after persons. The...

Overweight: The term "overweight" is used in two different ways. In one sense it is a way ...

Pain: An unpleasant sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. Pa...

Paralysis: Loss of voluntary movement (motor function). Paralysis that affects only one mu...

Pediatric: Pertaining to children.

Pediatrics: The field of medicine that is concerned with the health of infants, children, ...

Pharmacy: A location where prescription medications are sold. A pharmacy is constantly sup...

Pineal gland: A small gland that is located near the center of the brain. This gland secre...

Polysomnography: Continuous recording of specific physiologic variables during sleep. Poly...

Postmenopausal: After menopause, the period of time after a woman has experienced 12 conse...

Postpartum: The period just after delivery, as with postpartum depression. Postpartum refe...

Postpartum depression: A form of severe depression after delivery that interferes with dai...

Pre-eclampsia: A condition in pregnancy characterized by abrupt hypertension (a sharp rise...

Pregnancy: The state of carrying a developing embryo or fetus within the female body. Thi...

Pregnant: The state of carrying a developing fetus within the body.

Premenstrual: Just before the start of menstruation. As in a premenstrual headache.

Premenstrual syndrome: A combination of physical and mood disturbances that occur in the l...

Prescription: A physician's order for the preparation and administration of a drug or dev...

Prescription drug: A drug requiring a prescription, as opposed to an over-the-counter dr...

Progesterone: A female hormone, the principal hormone that prepares the uterus to receive ...

Prognosis: The forecast of the probable outcome or course of a disease; the patient's chan...

Psychiatry: The medical specialty that is concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, and tr...

Pulmonology: The study and science of the anatomy, physiology, and pathology of the lungs....

Resistance: Opposition to something, or the ability to withstand something. For example, s...

Restless legs: See: Restless leg syndrome.

Serotonin: A neurotransmitter that is involved in the transmission of nerve impulses. Sero...

Sleep: The body's rest cycle.

Sleep apnea: The temporary stoppage of breathing during sleep, often resulting in daytime ...

Sleep disorders: Any disorder that affects, disrupts, or involves sleep. The most common...

Sleep hygiene: A series of practices and non-medical treatments for insomnia. Sleep hygien...

Sleep paralysis: A frightening form of paralysis that occurs when a person suddenly finds...

Sleep-disordered breathing: A condition characterized by repeated episodes of hypopnea (un...

Sleeplessness: Insomnia. See also Fatal familial insomnia.

Snoring: A rough rattling noise made on inspiration during sleep by vibration of the soft ...

Soothing: Bringing comfort, solace, reassurance, peace, composure, quietude.

Stress: In a medical or biological context stress is a physical, mental, or emotional fact...

Stroke: The sudden death of brain cells due to lack of oxygen, caused by blockage of blood...

Surgeon: A physician who treats disease, injury, or deformity via operative or manual meth...

Surgery: The branch of medicine that employs operations in the treatment of disease or inj...

Symptom: Any subjective evidence of disease. In contrast, a sign is objective. Blood comin...

Syndrome: A combination of symptoms and signs that together represent a disease process.

Therapy: The treatment of disease. Therapy is synonymous with treatment.

Throat: The throat is the anterior (front) portion of the neck beginning at the back of th...

Tired: A feeling of a lessened capacity for work and reduced efficiency of accomplishment,...

Trimester: In obstetrics, one of the three divisions of three months each during pregnancy...

Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty: A type of operation designed to tighten up flabby tissues and e...

Weight loss: Weight loss is a decrease in body weight resulting from either voluntary (die...

Withdrawal symptoms: Abnormal physical or psychological features that follow the abrupt di...