Sleep medicine is a recent discipline but its field of knowledge is already extensive. This results from the progress made in understanding sleep-wake mechanisms, the development of reliable means of investigation, and advances in our knowledge of the nosology of the disorders of sleep and wakefulness.

This volume comprises five sections: the first looks at the semiotics of normal sleep in adults and children, sleep mechanisms and the major physiological functions and mental activity during sleep. The second section is a review of the different means of investigating sleep and wakefulness and the methods of analysis currently available. The third section deals with the disorders of sleep and wakefulness, insomnias, hypersomnias, circadian rhythm sleep disorders and parasomnias. The fourth section describes a number of medical disorders which are either sleep-related or simply exacerbated by sleep: snoring, chronic obstructive lung diseases, restless legs syndrome or periodic limb movement disorder, sleep epilepsies, etc. The final section encompasses disorders which are not sleep-dependent but to which sleep investigations may add further insight, such as mood disorders, certain neurological pathologies, dysautonomias, and again, epilepsy.

The appendix contains questionnaires, indexes, and assessment scales designed to assist the clinician in evaluating the different disorders.
The present edition, written in English is a complete revision of the two preceding French editions. It represents the work of European and North and South American specialists.

Doctors and surgeons interested in sleep, cardiologists, internists, neurologists, ENT specialists, pneumologists, psychiatrists and rheumatologists will find state-of-the-art information on sleep physiology and pathology, with means of evaluation, decision trees and appendices to assist them in their approach to patients affected by disorders of sleep and wakefulness.

Compiled by an international group of more than 40 authors, this reference book supplies an engaging and comprehensive review of the major topics and key issues associated with narcolepsy and hypersomnia. Spanning the latest advances in the field, this source covers current diagnostic procedures, genetic developments, explorations of animal models, new definitions and criteria, and improved epidemiological surveys to reflect the explosion of research in this evolving science.

Written and edited by leading clinicians and researchers in sleep medicine, this is the first book to focus on the causes, consequences and treatment of disorders of excessive sleepiness. Extensive coverage is provided for all known causes of sleepiness, including sleep deprivation, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, narcolepsy and other hypersomnias of central origin, shift work, and medical and psychiatric disorders. Since many causes of sleepiness are difficult to differentiate from each other, and treatment modalities can vary greatly from one disorder to another, this book helps the clinician to formulate a differential diagnosis that will ultimately lead to the correct diagnosis. Epidemiology, evaluation of the sleepy patient, diagnostic investigations including neuroimaging, subjective and objective testing, cognitive effects of sleepiness, motor vehicle driving issues, medico-legal aspects of sleepiness, and therapy are also discussed in detail. This is an essential resource for neurologists, psychiatrists and sleep specialists.

The question about the function ofsleep remains one ofthe major challenges scientists are faced with. Wherein lies the fascination with sleep? I am convinced that it is the necessity for sleep. No one has failed to experience the overpowering urge to fall asleep after a disturbed night's sleep or after sleep was curtailed or deprived, especially when our daily activities impose restrictions on motor activity. The demand ofour body and brain to sleep challenges our understanding ofwhy this is the case, and which are the benefits ofa night ofprofound sleep. Also in animals prolongation of waking consistently increases their attempts to fall asleep. It has been stated that sleep is more necessary to animals than even food! The need for sleep and some insight into the consequences of the preceding daily waking activities on subsequent sleep was wonderfully formulated by Shakespeare in Othello: Not poppy nor mandragora, Nor all the drowsy syrups ofthe world, Shall ever medicine thee to that sweet sleep Which thou owed'st yesterday It is interesting that the most powerful single intervention which invariably influences sleep in a positive and predictable manner is the prolongation of waking. The activities which people or animals engage in during the wakefulness episode are secondary in the magnitude oftheir effects on sleep.

This comprehensive volume provides a balanced and easily readable account of the rise of modern sleep medicine, its history and developmental milestones. Authored by an international group of experts, the remarkable progress and fascinating evolution from rudimentary concepts of the ancient prehistoric and early classical periods to our contemporary knowledge are covered in detail. These examples and their relationship to modern therapies offer neurologists, psychiatrists, respiratory specialists, clinicians, researchers and those interested in sleep medicine an important perspective to the origins of current practice.