Bobbin: cylinder on which wire, thread, film, or yarn is wound.

Cataplexy: rare disease that frequently affects those with narcolepsy, characterized by sudden muscle weakness ranging from slackening to total collapse, often triggered by emotions. During an episode, the patient remains conscious, but is unable to speak.

Cerebral Cortex: outer layer of the brain that plays a key role in memory, attention, perceptual awareness, thought, language, and consciousness.

CPAP Mask: mask used in a certain type of breathing therapy (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) which treats sleep apnea.

Delta Wave: high amplitude brain wave usually associated with the deepest stage of sleep.

Didgeridoo: wind instrument developed by indigenous Australians. In 2005, the British Medical Journal published a study that suggested that playing the didgeridoo reduced snoring and sleep apnea by strengthening muscles in the upper airway. The didgeridoo is also used is sound therapy and sound healing.

EEG (electroencephalography): recording of the brain’s spontaneous electrical activity over a short period of time as recorded by electrodes placed on the scalp. Used in various epilepsy tests and to monitor brain function in intensive care units, an EEG can also show whether a person is awake, asleep, or anesthetized.

Electrodes: conductor through which an electric current is passed (from metal to nonmetal in electrical circuit).

Flotsam: floating wreckage of a ship and its cargo.

Jetsam: part of a ship/cargo that is jettisoned overboard in times of distress to lighten the load.

Lute: string instrument popular during the Renaissance and Baroque eras.

Modafonil: drug used to treat excessive sleepiness caused by narcolepsy and also to treat other disorders such as sleep apnea (sometimes called a wakefulness promoting agent).

Narcolepsy: neurological disorder caused by the brain’s inability to regulate sleep-wake cycles normally. Symptoms include excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy. Other symptoms include hypnogogic hallucinations (during transition from wakefulness to sleep, the patient has bizarre, often frightening dream-like experiences that incorporate his or her real environment) and sleep paralysis.
http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/
sleep-related-problems/narcolepsy-and-sleep

Night Eating: disorder characterized by overeating at night paired with anxiety and insomnia. (There is also a condition called Nocturnal Sleep-Related Eating Disorder in which a patient consumes food in an unconscious or semi-conscious state, while sleepwalking, for example, and is unaware of having done so).

Night Terrors: sleeping disorder that occurs during non-rapid eye movement sleep where the patient is terrified and temporary unable to regain full consciousness. Night terrors are most common in children, although adults may experience them (often after a traumatic experience).
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency
/article/000809.htm

Orderly: hospital attendant who assists medical and nursing staff with various routine duties and interventions that pose no risk to the patient.

Post-traumatic Aphasia: cognitive disorder that results in impaired ability to express or comprehend written and verbal language.

Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS): neurological sensorimotor disorder which causes an unpleasant tingling or tugging sensation in the legs. Symptoms usually get worse at night and interfere with a person’s ability to sleep.

Sleep Apnea: disorder in which breathing is interrupted during sleep. With obstructive sleep apnea, muscles in the back of the throat fail to keep airways open. With central sleep apnea (much less common), the brain fails to control breathing during sleep.

Sleepwalking: behavior disorder which originates in deep sleep and results in walking or performing other complex behaviors during sleep (such as sitting up in bed, talking, etc).

Spindle: device to spin fibers into thread. (Also, sleep spindles, see Sleep Cycle Stage 2).

Treadle: pedal operated by the foot for circular drive (such as on a sewing machine).

Valerian: flowering plant whose root is used in tea or capsules and is thought to have a sedative effect.