Polysomnographic study of terminal sleep following delirium tremens.

Polysomnographic recording was performed during terminal sleep following delirium tremens (DT) in nine chronic alcoholics. After terminal sleep all the alcoholics fully recovered from DT. The duration of terminal sleep and DT differed among patients, but no significant correlation was found between the two. The most prominent feature in teh different stages of terminal sleep was a considerable decrease in slow wave sleep, especially stage 4 sleep. A slight decrease was observed in REM sleep, while stages 1 and 2 increased. A small amount of stages 1-REM and 2-REM was observed and a statistically significant correlation was noted between the appearance of these sleep stages. Intermittent wakefulness occurred in many patients. The disappearance of sleep cycles was observed in some patients. Therefore, terminal sleep following DT probably consists of recovery sleep from sleep deprivation caused by DT and disturbances of consciousness. Sleep cycles regularly occur in the former, but not in the latter.