The prevalence of multiple sleep-onset REM periods in a population-based sample.

The presence of 2 or more sleep-onset rapid eye movement periods (SOREMPs) on a Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT) has been used as 1 of the criteria for the diagnosis of narcolepsy and is thought to be specific to this disorder. However, previous studies have shown the prevalence of SOREMPS in healthy volunteers and apneic patients to be higher than expected. The present study determined the prevalence of 2 or more SOREMPs in a representative sample of the population from southeast Michigan and investigated potential associations with other sleep-related variables.