Preface

Sleep medicine has come a long way since MacNish in 1934 stated: “sleep is the intermediate state between wakefulness and death; wakefulness … the active state of all the animal and intellectual functions, and death as that of their total suspension.” Over the past 50 years we have learned that sleep is not close to death at all but is a different state of being. Moreover, the states within sleep, rapid eye movement and non–rapid eye movement, are as different from each other as sleeping is from waking. As we have begun to learn more about sleep, further revelations regarding its substantial impact on diverse medical conditions have become apparent. This issue of Sleep Medicine Clinics explores the impact of sleep and sleep disorders on a variety of common medical disorders.

The choice of medical disorders included in this issue was based on the amount of medical literature available. For thousands of medical disorders the data on sleep effects are scant. The disorders included here have more substantial data, although most authors point out the need for more research.

The topics chosen are diverse and represent diseases found in millions of patients throughout the world. The authors likewise are from a variety of locations throughout the world and represent a particular area of expertise in both the medical condition described and in the field of sleep medicine. The diverse topics range from respiration and esophageal function during normal sleep to chronomodulated chemotherapy and alpha EEG sleep anomaly. The topics highlight the substantial impact that sleep and its disorders can have on the individual patient and stress the need for practitioners caring for such patients to be cognizant of these issues. This issue should be excellent reading for sleep practitioners and also for primary care and specialist practitioners caring for the diverse patient populations described. I am grateful to the authors who devoted their time and talent to writing the various articles.

I dedicate this book to my parents, Barb and Bill Abbey, whose love and encouragement have inspired me throughout my career.