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Evaluation Instruments for Sleep Disorders: A Brief History of Polysomnography and Sleep Medicine

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Introduction to Modern Sleep Technology

Part of the book series: Intelligent Systems, Control and Automation: Science and Engineering ((ISCA,volume 64))

Abstract

Sleep is a vital biological function and we currently know that sleep disorders are highly prevalent in the population. The history of the development of sleep science and sleep medicine is inextricably tied to the development of polysomnography, used as a means to assess, objectively and in a reproducible way, sleep and wakefulness. Over the past 50 years, technologic advances and scientific progress have permitted huge improvements in the systems used to record sleep. Furthermore, major advances in sleep science and pathology are linked with improvements in the methods of recording and analyzing sleep. It can be asserted that the development of polysomnography transformed sleep research from a speculative area to an experimental science. This chapter has been organized to briefly relate the major developments in sleep medicine and to summarize the evolution of polysomnography.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Investigation and Research in Sleep, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois/Université de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland

    José Haba-Rubio M.D.

  2. Faculté de Médecine, Université Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, France

    Jean Krieger M.D., Ph.D.

Authors
  1. José Haba-Rubio M.D.
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  2. Jean Krieger M.D., Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Jean Krieger M.D., Ph.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , School of Medicine, Fu Jen Catholic University, Wen Chang Road, Shih Lin District 95, Taipei, -, Taiwan R.O.C.

    Rayleigh Ping-Ying Chiang

  2. , Department of Civil Engineering, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan R.O.C.

    Shih-Chun (Jessy) Kang

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© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Haba-Rubio, J., Krieger, J. (2012). Evaluation Instruments for Sleep Disorders: A Brief History of Polysomnography and Sleep Medicine. In: Chiang, RY., Kang, SC. (eds) Introduction to Modern Sleep Technology. Intelligent Systems, Control and Automation: Science and Engineering, vol 64. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5470-6_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5470-6_2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-007-5469-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-007-5470-6

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