A Succinct History of Sleep Medicine

Although sleep and sleep disorders have been studied for centuries, it was the development of sophisticated tools to monitor eye movements, brain waves, and muscle tone in the mid-20th century that led to modern sleep research. These tools allowed neuroscientists to distinguish between different “states” or “phases” of sleep, and to relate these findings to sleep disorders. This review chronicles the groundbreaking work of the pioneers in this field, and the impact their findings have had on patients today.