Autoimmune Disturbances of Sleeping

Sleep disorders are common in some neurological autoimmune diseases like narcolepsy, neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders, and several types of autoimmune encephalitis associated with antibodies against neuronal surfaces or intracellular proteins. Brain areas that generate and regulate the sleep-wake cycle are usually affected in these neurological diseases, leading to prominent and distinctive sleep disorders, including hypersomnolence, insomnia, parasomnias, and sleep breathing difficulties. A proper identification of these sleep disorders can be important to diagnose some of these neurological autoimmune diseases.