Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Jun 1;21(6):1093-1102.
doi: 10.5664/jcsm.11660.

Sleep and dreams: how the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and its members have shaped the future of the sleep field for 50 years

Raman K Malhotra  1 , Thomas M Heffron  2 , Ilene M Rosen  3 , Stuart F Quan  4   5 , Clete A Kushida  6 , Lawrence J Epstein  4
Affiliations

Sleep and dreams: how the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and its members have shaped the future of the sleep field for 50 years

Raman K Malhotra et al. J Clin Sleep Med. .

Abstract

Over the past century, sleep has transitioned from the domain of artists, poets, and philosophers to the realm of scientists and clinicians. In the 20th century, pioneering sleep researchers and clinicians advanced their respective fields by forming organizations such as the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM). For 50 years, the AASM has played a leading role in creating and shaping the field of sleep medicine, leveraging the multidisciplinary expertise of its members to forge a new medical specialty. The organization emerged from a meeting in 1975, where academics whose research focused on sleep gathered to evaluate the necessity of establishing a new professional society to represent the nascent sleep disorders centers that were beginning to open across the country. The formation of the AASM was led by Dr. William Dement and other pioneers who played crucial roles in establishing the field through the clinical application of sleep research. Through the AASM, they created the building blocks of a medical specialty by developing accreditation and certification programs, diagnostic classifications, clinical practice guidelines, clinical training programs, peer-reviewed scientific journals, and a clinical and scientific meeting. Their persistent efforts eventually secured for the sleep medicine specialty both national recognition and broad acceptance within the medical community. Today, the field of sleep medicine remains strong as sleep physicians and other members of the clinical sleep team provide high-quality, comprehensive care for patients who have sleep and circadian disorders. Built on this solid foundation, the AASM and its members will continue to shape the future of sleep medicine.

Citation: Malhotra RK, Heffron TM, Rosen IM, Quan SF, Kushida CA, Epstein LJ. Sleep and dreams: how the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and its members have shaped the future of the sleep field for 50 years. J Clin Sleep Med. 2025;21(6):1093-1102.

Keywords: American Academy of Sleep Medicine; professional society; sleep medicine.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Mr. Heffron is employed by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), and the other authors are past presidents of the AASM.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. American Association of Sleep Disorders Centers . Bylaws . Ratified June 6, 1976. .
    1. Aserinsky E , Kleitman N . Regularly occurring episodes of eye mobility, and concomitant phenomena, during sleep . Science. 1953. ; 118 ( 3062 ): 273 – 274 . - PubMed
    1. Shepard JW Jr , Buysse DJ , Chesson AL , et al. . History of the development of sleep medicine in the United States . J Clin Sleep Med. 2005. ; 1 ( 1 ): 61 – 82 . - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cederberg R , Nishino S , Dement WC , Mignot E . Breeding history of the Stanford colony of narcoleptic dogs . Vet Rec. 1998. ; 142 ( 2 ): 31 – 36 . - PubMed
    1. Kryger M , Quesney LF , Holder D , Gloor P , MacLeod P . The sleep deprivation syndrome of the obese patient. A problem of periodic nocturnal upper airway obstruction . Am J Med. 1974. ; 56 ( 4 ): 530 – 539 . - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources