Review of Select Sleep Medicine Pharmacology: Treatments of Hypersomnias and Parasomnia

The field of sleep medicine has made several strides forward in the understanding and treatment of various sleep disorders. These discoveries have further highlighted the intricate nature of sleep regulation and the multiple concerted processes required for normal sleep behavior. In this chapter, we will review current pathophysiologic understanding and available treatments for the conditions of hypersomnia and parasomnias. In recent years, advances in the understanding of hypersomnia have been particularly exciting with the discovery of hypocretin/orexin signaling and several newly FDA-approved pharmaceuticals for hypersomnia treatment. Each section concludes with a summary of the available pharmaceuticals, and comprehensive table is provided at the end of the chapter.