| tachycardia, paroxysmal atrial | Bouts of rapid, regular heart beating originating in the atrium (upper chamber of the heart). Often due to abnormalities in the av node relay station that lead to rapid firing of electrical impulses from the atrium which bypass the av node under certain conditions. These conditions include alcohol excess, stress, caffeine, overactive thyroid or excessive thyroid hormone intake, and certain drugs. Pat is an example of an arrhythmia where the abnormality is in the electrical system of the heart, while the heart muscle and valves may be normal. (12 Dec 1998) |
|---|---|
| familial paroxysmal rhabdomyolysis | acute recurrent rhabdomyolysis |
| rapid eye movement sleep | REM sleep, that state of deep sleep in which rapid eye movements, alert EEG pattern, and dreaming occur; several central and autonomic functions are distinctive during this state. (05 Mar 2000) |
| paradoxical sleep | A deep sleep, with a brain wave pattern more like that of waking states than of other states of sleep, which occurs during rapid eye movement sleep. (05 Mar 2000) |
| REM stage sleep | <physiology> A stage of deep sleep that is accompanied by rapid eye movement and muscle paralysis. Vivid dreams can be recalled in over 80% of patients who awake from REM stage sleep. (27 Sep 1997) |
| central sleep apnoea | <neurology> A form of sleep apnoea which from the lack of neurologic stimulation to breathe. (12 Jan 1998) |
| mixed sleep apnoea | <chest medicine> A form of sleep apnoea where there is exists a combination of obstructive and central sleep apnoea syndromes. (13 Nov 1997) |
| winter sleep | The dormant state in which some animal species pass the winter. It is characterised by narcosis and by sharp reduction in body temperature and metabolic activity and by a depression of vital signs. It is a natural physiological process in many warm-blooded animals. (12 Dec 1998) |
| multiple sleep latency test | A test of the propensity to fall asleep, done by performing polysomnography during multiple brief opportunities to sleep. (05 Mar 2000) |
| crescendo sleep | Normal sleep, marked by a gradual increase in movements of the sleeper during the course of the night. (05 Mar 2000) |
| hypnotic sleep | <procedure> A state of heightened awareness and focused concentration that can be used to manipulate the perception of pain. (16 Dec 1997) |
| sleep | A natural and healthy, but temporary and periodical, suspension of the functions of the organs of sense, as well as of those of the voluntary and rational soul; that state of the animal in which there is a lessened acuteness of sensory perception, a confusion of ideas, and a loss of mental control, followed by a more or less unconscious state. "A man that waketh of his sleep." "O sleep, thou ape of death." (Shak) Sleep is attended by a relaxation of the muscles, and the absence of voluntary activity for any rational objects or purpose. The pulse is slower, the respiratory movements fewer in number but more profound, and there is less blood in the cerebral vessels. It is susceptible of greater or less intensity or completeness in its control of the powers. <botany> Sleep of plants, a state of plants, usually at night, when their leaflets approach each other, and the flowers close and droop, or are covered by the folded leaves. Synonym: Slumber, repose, rest, nap, doze, drowse. Origin: AS. Slp; akin to OFries. Slp, OS. Slap, D. Slaap, OHG. Slaf, G. Schlaf, Goth. Slps. See Sleep. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| sleep apnea | Temporary stoppage of breathing during sleep, often resulting in daytime sleepiness. (12 Dec 1998) |
| sleep apnea syndrome | <syndrome> A disorder characterised by multiple episodes of partial or complete cessation of respiration during sleep. (05 Mar 2000) |
| sleep apnea syndromes | Disorders involving apneic episodes during sleep. They may be due to cessation of diaphragmatic movement, obstruction of upper airway air flow, or a combination of these, and may be associated with hypersomnolence, insomnia, or obesity. (12 Dec 1998) |