Sleep is one of the most biologically consequential processes in human physiology, and it is one of the most undertreated domains in clinical practice. For functional neurology clinicians, sleep represents a direct window into the health of the nervous system. Disrupted circadian rhythms, disordered sleep architecture, obstructive sleep apnea, chronic insomnia, and REM behavior disorder are not peripheral concerns. They are neurological presentations with measurable systemic impact. This course delivers the mechanistic depth, clinical frameworks, and evidence-based protocols that allow clinicians to assess and address sleep pathology with the precision the condition demands. Core topics include sleep staging, polysomnographic and home sleep test interpretation, circadian rhythm neuroscience and chronophysiology, sleep disorder breathing evaluation and management, insomnia neurobiology and behavioral treatment, parasomnia classification and clinical identification, and the documented consequences of acute and chronic sleep deprivation.

This course moves beyond surface-level familiarity. Clinicians who complete this training develop a working command of the neuroanatomy and neurochemistry of sleep regulation, including the role of the suprachiasmatic nucleus, glymphatic system function, adenosine homeostasis, melatonin and circadian entrainment, and the EEG-defined architecture of sleep stages. From that foundation, the course builds clinical capability across the full spectrum of sleep pathology. Clinicians learn to read and interpret polysomnographic data, understand the indications and contraindications for home sleep testing, apply validated screening tools including the Epworth Sleepiness Scale and STOP-BANG questionnaire, differentiate OSA from central and complex sleep apnea, select appropriate PAP and non-PAP treatment strategies, and implement evidence-based behavioral therapies including CBT-I, sleep restriction, and stimulus control therapy.

This course is designed for licensed healthcare clinicians who encounter sleep-related presentations in practice and want to elevate their clinical reasoning and patient outcomes in this area. Functional neurologists, chiropractors with advanced neurological training, and clinicians building integrative or neurology-focused practices will find this training particularly relevant. The content is also valuable for any provider seeking to understand the neurological underpinnings of conditions frequently linked to poor sleep, including cardiovascular disease, metabolic dysfunction, mood disorders, cognitive decline, and chronic pain.

Dr. Roy Wilkins brings decades of clinical experience and deep functional neurology expertise to this course. His instruction bridges basic neuroscience with practical clinical application, translating complex mechanisms of sleep regulation into frameworks that are immediately usable at the point of care. The result is a training experience that respects the intelligence of the clinician and delivers knowledge calibrated to advanced practice. This 15-credit continuing education course is part of the Carrick Institute’s commitment to producing clinicians who operate at the frontier of functional neuroscience, equipped to manage the full complexity of the patients who trust them with their care.