Medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis and therapy of sleep disturbances and disorders
For drugs which induce sleep, see hypnotic. For drugs which bring about a reversible loss of consciousness, see General anaesthetic.
Sleep medicine
System
Respiratory system, cardiovascular system, nervous system
Significant diseases
Insomnia, sleep apnoea, narcolepsy
Significant tests
Sleep study
Specialist
Sleep medicine physician
Sleep Medicine Physician
Occupation
Names
Physician
Activity sectors
Medicine, Psychiatry
Description
Education required
Doctor of Medicine (MD)
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO)
Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS/MBChB)
Sleep diary layout example
Sleep medicine is a medical specialty or subspecialty devoted to the diagnosis and therapy of sleep disturbances and disorders.[1] From the middle of the 20th century, research has provided increasing knowledge of, and answered many questions about, sleep–wake functioning.[2] The rapidly evolving field[3] has become a recognized medical subspecialty in some countries. Dental sleep medicine also qualifies for board certification in some countries. Properly organized, minimum 12-month, postgraduate training programs are still being defined in the United States.[4][5] In some countries, the sleep researchers and the physicians who treat patients may be the same people.
The first sleep clinics in the United States were established in the 1970s by interested physicians and technicians; the study, diagnosis and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea were their first tasks. As late as 1999, virtually any American physician, with no specific training in sleep medicine, could open a sleep laboratory.[6]
Disorders and disturbances of sleep are widespread and can have significant consequences for affected individuals as well as economic and other consequences for society.[7][8][9][10] The US National Transportation Safety Board has, according to Charles Czeisler, member of the Institute of Medicine and Director of the Harvard University Medical School Division of Sleep Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, discovered that the leading cause (31%) of fatal-to-the-driver heavy truck crashes is fatigue related (though rarely associated directly with sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea), with drugs and alcohol as the number two cause (29%).[11] Sleep deprivation has also been a significant factor in dramatic accidents, such as the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the nuclear incidents at Chernobyl and Three Mile Island and the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger.[12]
^"Sleep Medicine Specialty Description". American Medical Association.
^Bingham, Roger; Terrence Sejnowski; Jerry Siegel; Mark Eric Dyken; Charles Czeisler; Paul Shaw; Ralph Greenspan; Satchin Panda; Philip Low; Robert Stickgold; Sara Mednick; Allan Pack; Luis de Lecea; David Dinges; Dan Kripke; Giulio Tononi (February 2007). "Waking Up To Sleep" (Several conference videos). The Science Network. Retrieved 2008-01-25.
^Kvale, Paul A.; Peter D. Wagner; Lawrence J. Epstein (2005). "Pulmonary Physicians in the Practice of Sleep Medicine". Chest. 128 (6). American College of Chest Physicians: 3788–90. doi:10.1378/chest.128.6.3788. PMID 16354845. The field of sleep medicine is in a time of rapid growth and maturation.
^The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (August 2006). "Requirements for Physician Training 2004". Archived from the original on 2008-07-25. Retrieved 2008-07-28.
^Ramirez, Armando F.; Elaine C. Bell (March 2007). "Osteopathic Specialty Board Certification". J Am Osteopath Assoc. 107 (3). The American Osteopathic Association: 117–125. PMID 17485568. Archived from the original on 2008-09-07. Retrieved 2008-07-27.
^Cite error: The named reference Collop was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Ohayon MM (September 2007). "[Prevalence and comorbidity of sleep disorders in general population]". Rev Prat (in French). 57 (14): 1521–8. PMID 18018450. The International Classification of Sleep Disorders lists more than 80 different sleep disorder diagnoses.
^Sigurdson K; Ayas NT (January 2007). "The public health and safety consequences of sleep disorders". Can. J. Physiol. Pharmacol. 85 (1): 179–83. doi:10.1139/y06-095. PMID 17487258.
^Summers MO; Crisostomo MI; Stepanski EJ (July 2006). "Recent developments in the classification, evaluation, and treatment of insomnia". Chest. 130 (1): 276–86. doi:10.1378/chest.130.1.276. PMID 16840413.
^National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Working Group on Problem Sleepiness, David F. Dinges, Chair (August 1997). "Working Group Report on Problem Sleepiness" (PDF). National Institutes of Health. Retrieved 2008-07-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Czeisler, Charles A. (2003). "Pathophysiology and Treatment of Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorders" (Video). Medscape. pp. Slide 10 of 32. Retrieved 2008-10-22.
^"Sleep, Performance, and Public Safety". Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School and WGBH Educational Foundation. December 2007. Archived from the original on 2020-05-06. Retrieved 2008-07-27.
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Sleep apnea is a sleep-related breathing disorder in which repetitive pauses in breathing, periods of shallow breathing, or collapse of the upper airway...
Academy of SleepMedicine (AASM) divides NREM into three stages: N1, N2, and N3, the last of which is also called delta sleep or slow-wave sleep. The whole...
A sleep disorder, or somnipathy, is a medical disorder of an individual's sleep patterns. Some sleep disorders are severe enough to interfere with normal...
Sleep deprivation, also known as sleep insufficiency or sleeplessness, is the condition of not having adequate duration and/or quality of sleep to support...
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common sleep-related breathing disorder and is characterized by recurrent episodes of complete or partial obstruction...
for abuse. Other sleep remedies that may be considered "sedative–hypnotics" exist; psychiatrists will sometimes prescribe medicines off-label if they...
Behavioral sleepmedicine (BSM) is a field within sleepmedicine that encompasses scientific inquiry and clinical treatment of sleep-related disorders...
Sleep paralysis is a state, during waking up or falling asleep, in which a person is conscious but in a complete state of full-body paralysis. During...
Delayed sleep phase disorder (DSPD), more often known as delayed sleep phase syndrome and also as delayed sleep–wake phase disorder, is the delaying of...
sleep quality and between higher levels of problematic smartphone use and elevated risk of poor sleep quality. Also in February 2020, SleepMedicine Reviews...
Rapid eye movement sleep (REM sleep or REMS) is a unique phase of sleep in mammals (including humans) and birds, characterized by random rapid movement...
American Academy of SleepMedicine (AASM) is a United States professional society for the medical subspecialty of sleepmedicine which includes disorders...
include excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), sleep related hallucinations, sleep paralysis, disturbed nocturnal sleep (DNS) and cataplexy. There are two recognized...
National Sleep Foundation and the Division of SleepMedicine at Harvard Medical School, both of which have created public websites with sleep hygiene resources...
sleep disorders (CRSD), also known as circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders (CRSWD), are a family of sleep disorders which affect the timing of sleep...
Space medicine is a subspecialty of emergency medicine which developed from the preventative medicine field of aerospace medicine. Space medicine focuses...
Sleep debt or sleep deficit is the cumulative effect of not getting enough sleep. A large sleep debt may lead to mental or physical fatigue, and can adversely...
Rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder or REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is a sleep disorder in which people act out their dreams. It involves...
cause any neurological sequelae. According to the American Academy of SleepMedicine (AASM), there is a wide range of potential causes, including anxiety...
The sleep cycle is an oscillation between the slow-wave and REM (paradoxical) phases of sleep. It is sometimes called the ultradian sleep cycle, sleep–dream...
(MWTs), and home sleep tests (HSTs). In medicine, sleep studies have been useful in identifying and ruling out various sleep disorders. Sleep studies have...
devoted to the diagnosis and therapy of rheumatic diseases Sleepmedicine Sports medicine Transplant hepatology The American College of Osteopathic Internists...
rheumatology Sleepmedicine (multidisciplinary) Social pediatrics Sports medicine (not an exhaustive list) Child neurology Addiction medicine (multidisciplinary)...
Sleeping in space is part of space medicine and mission planning, with impacts on the health, capabilities and morale of astronauts. Human spaceflight...
William P. (2016-02-15). "Measuring Sleep Efficiency: What Should the Denominator Be?". Journal of Clinical SleepMedicine. 12 (2): 263–266. doi:10.5664/jcsm...
(2014-02-01). "Supine position related obstructive sleep apnea in adults: pathogenesis and treatment". SleepMedicine Reviews. 18 (1): 7–17. doi:10.1016/j.smrv...
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