ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION Recent years have seen a rapidly growing interest in the frequent co-occurrence of insomnia disorder and sleep related breathing disorders (SRBD) (1). The two conditions were once considered orthogonal, or insomnia was considered a symptom of SRBD. However, evidence from clinical, research, and population samples, as well as clinical experience, consistently suggest that insomnia disorder and SRBD co-exist as distinct disease entities and warrant independent treatment in many patients. The purpose of this chapter is to review the association between insomnia and SRBD, the two most common sleep disorders among adults. The chapter begins with a review of the causes and consequences of SRBD, followed by a discussion of the literature regarding the cooccurrence of chronic insomnia and SRBD. Treatment of these disorders when they are comorbid is considered, along with the potential interactions among treatments, including pharmacological approaches. Clinical recommendations and suggestions for future research are offered.
