Origin The field is generally dated to the second half of the twentieth century, following the discovery of REM sleep in 1952-53 and the first medical description of sleep apnea in 1965; the first dedicated sleep clinics in the United States opened in the 1970s, building on Nathaniel Kleitman's earlier sleep research.
Sleep medicine, or somnology, is the medical specialty devoted to diagnosing and treating sleep disturbances and disorders such as insomnia, sleep apnea and narcolepsy. This atlas records what the historical record supports and is not medical advice.
Facts
Origin PeriodSourced to the subject's own accountThe field is generally dated to the second half of the twentieth century, following the discovery of REM sleep in 1952-53 and the first medical description of sleep apnea in 1965; the first dedicated sleep clinics in the United States opened in the 1970s, building on Nathaniel Kleitman's earlier sleep research. 2 Classification
Type/Classification Connections
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Medical specialty
WikipediaClassification tableQuote, Classification table
Medical specialties that focus on the diagnosis and non-surgical treatment of disease.
2. Sleep Medicine (Wikipedia)
WikipediaLead section
Sleep medicine or somnology is a medical specialty or subspecialty devoted to the diagnosis and therapy of sleep disturbances and disorders.
History section, second paragraph
The concept of sleep medicine belongs to the second half of the 20th century.
View the Source Frequently Asked Questions
When did sleep medicine emerge as a distinct medical specialty?
In the second half of the twentieth century, following the discovery of REM sleep and growing sleep research.
Sleep medicine took shape as a specialty in the second half of the twentieth century. Growing knowledge of sleep, including the growth of chronobiology research from about 1960 and the discoveries of REM sleep in 1952-53 and sleep apnea in 1965, established sleep's medical importance and led to the field's recognition.
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