PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - T. O. Candler TI - The clinical significance of disturbed sleep and the use of hypnotics DP - 1974 Aug 01 TA - The Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners PG - 515--527 VI - 24 IP - 145 4099 - http://bjgp.org/content/24/145/515.short 4100 - http://bjgp.org/content/24/145/515.full SO - J R Coll Gen Pract1974 Aug 01; 24 AB - This article discusses the causes of sleeplessness and its long-term management. Sleep may be repeatedly disturbed by pain, dyspnoea, micturition, or restlessness. The sleep patterns of the diseases which produce these symptoms are given, with an explanation in physiological terms of why they disturb sleep. A knowledge of these sleep patterns provides a valuable aid to diagnosis. It is concluded that there is only one condition, senility leading to senile dementia, for which long-term night sedation is justified.