Validated tools for clinical evaluation of circadian rhythm sleep disorders in adults and children

Circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders are characterized either by sleep schedules that do not correspond to the usual schedules usually imposed by the light/dark cycle and by socio-professional activities, or by an unusual number of sleep episodes 24 h. These two anomalies of the sleep-wake cycle are caused by an alteration of the circadian system or its mechanisms of entraining. The clinician has various tools that will confirm the diagnosis of circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders. These diagnostic tools determine the alteration of the circadian system by generally estimating the circadian phase or else confirm the misalignment of sleep relative to the external environment. The purpose of this work is to provide the clinician with the various recommended or suggested (optional) tools to enable the diagnosis of each circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders. These recommendations were developed by a consensus of SFRMS experts based more on their practice in the clinic than on a bibliographic study to highlight levels of evidence.