Sleep Disorders Glossary – C
Cardiac Arrest
Cardiac Arrest is sudden cessation of heartbeat and cardiac function, resulting in the loss of effective circulation.
Cardiovascular
Cardiovascular is relating to, or involving the heart and the blood vessels .
Cataplexy is the sudden muscle weakness associated with narcolepsy. It is a temporary decrease or complete loss of muscle control triggered by an emotional response that is often seen in narcoleptics.
It is often triggered by emotional stimulus such as anger, surprise, laughter, and exhilaration. Cataplexy is a symptom of narcolepsy, a neurologic disorder that causes excessive sleepiness.
Central nervous system
Central nervous system is also called the CNS. It is the portion of the vertebrate nervous system consisting of the brain and spinal cord, which are responsible for the coordination of all motor and mental activities.
Central sleep apnea is a sleep disorder is the episodes of non-respiration during sleep for 10 second or longer that is caused by the brain failing to signal the respiratory muscles to breathe.
Cerebral Cortex
Cerebral Cortex is the extensive outer layer of gray matter of the cerebral hemispheres, largely responsible for higher brain functions, including sensation, voluntary muscle movement, thought, reasoning, and memory.
Chronic insomnia is regular sleeplessness that persists for more than three weeks and is persistent without treatment.
Chronobiology
Chronobiology is a field of science that examines periodic (cyclic) phenomena in living organisms. "Chrono" pertains to time and "biology" pertains to the study, or science, of life.
Chronotherapy is a treatment of a sleep disorder by changing sleeping and waking times in an attempt to reset the patient's biological clock.
Circadian
Circadian is relating to biological processes occurring at 24-hour intervals pertains to noun.
Circadian rhythms are sleep disorders are disruptions of the natural biological cycles that control how people are attuned to night and day. The term circadian comes from Latin words that literally mean around the day.
Claustrophobia
Claustrophobia is an anxiety disorder that involves the fear of enclosed or confined spaces. Claustrophobic may suffer from panic attacks, or fear of having a panic attack, in situations such as being in elevators, trains or aircraft.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy is a psychological therapy, which focuses on changing attitudes and beliefs related to sleep and insomnia. It is one of several effective ways of treating depression in cancer patients.
CBT helps patient’s view what is happening to them in a realistic way. It may make use of music, imagery, and providing accurate information.
Complementary Medicine
Complementary Medicine A method of health care that combines the therapies and philosophies of conventional medicine with those of alternative medicines, such as acupuncture, herbal medicine, and biofeedback.
For example, treatment for insomnia might include a medication in combination with relaxation therapy.
Compulsive Hyperphagia
Compulsive Hyperphagia is a disorder of excessive and compulsive overeating. It is often accompanied with other disorders, such as hypersexuality and hypersomnia, and is also associated with Kleine-Levin syndrome.
Continuous positive airway pressure is a method of respiratory ventilation used primarily in the treatment of sleep apnea and various lung diseases. CPAP ventilation can also be used during the "weaning off" period of a ventilated intensive care patient, but this will not be covered in this article.
A device called a CPAP machine, which is basically a pump, is used to pass a controlled stream of air into the airway of the sleeping patient, splinting the airway (keeping it open under air pressure) so that unobstructed breathing becomes possible, reducing and/or preventing apneas and hypopneas.
CPAP Pressure
CPAP pressure is the amount of pressure needed to keep an open airway in a sleep apnea patient being treated with CPAP, expressed in centimeters of water (cm H20). The positive pressure may range from 5 to 20 cm H20. Different patients will require different pressures. This value is determined in a CPAP titration study.
Cortisol
Cortisol is a steroid hormone secreted by the adrenal cortex that is important for maintenance of body fluids, electrolytes, and blood sugar levels. Also called hydrocortisone.
Compliance
Compliance is the holding on to a treatment regimen, such as CPAP therapy.
Confusional Arousals is also called sleep drunkenness or excessive sleep inertia. It is a parasomnia, which is an extreme example of the slowness most people feel upon awakening.
Confusional arousal people respond poorly to commands or questions, and have major memory impairment of things that happened a short time before.
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