The History and Discovery of Sleep (Kenneth Miller)

Sleep medicine evolved from speculative theories about sleep’s purpose and mechanisms into a major scientific and clinical discipline. Key milestones included the establishment of the first dedicated sleep laboratory, discovery of REM sleep, identification of circadian rhythms and the biological clock, development of polysomnography, MSLT, CPAP, and CBT-I, and recognition of disorders such as narcolepsy and obstructive sleep apnea. Advances in neuroscience revealed the roles of the hypothalamus, orexin system, and glymphatic clearance during sleep. Today, sleep medicine is a global specialty with thousands of clinics, while fundamental questions about sleep’s ultimate function remain under investigation.