Preface

Sleep is a kind of naturally recurring state that is associated with muscle relaxation and reduced perception of environmental stimuli, including altered consciousness and relatively inhibited sensory activity. Sleep is, so to speak, one of the most complicated and mysterious things in humans. In fact, opinions on sleep vary across cultures.

From the middle of the 20th century, sleep-related research has provided more and more knowledge and solved many puzzles about sleep-wake functioning. At the same time, there is growing awareness about the significance of sleep and its disorders. The concept of sleep medicine thrived in the second half of the 20th century. The medical profession began showing more interest than previously in primary sleep disorders and the quality of sleep in other conditions. Therefore, sleep medicine is one of the fastest-growing divisions of medicine.

Disorders and disturbances of sleep are wide-ranging and can have significant effects on affected individuals as well as economic consequences for society. For instance, sleep apnea is a kind of sleep disorder characterized by periods of interrupted or shallow breathing during sleep. Sleep apnea has become an essential health issue in the United States. Approximately 22 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea, and 80% of moderate and severe obstructive sleep apnea cases are undiagnosed. Most importantly, sleep medicine should accelerate increased public awareness of sleep disorders and facilitate the consolidation of sleep health into medical care in a responsible fashion. To create a common opinion, we must enfold innovation in sleep medicine.

Since the end of 2019, COVID-19 has made telemedicine more mainstream. This means that clinicians must use wearable or Internet of Things (IoT) devices for disease evaluation and treatment. Personalized data generated by the various monitoring technologies are jointly managed by patients and medical staff. Medical staff will supervise artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to understand patients' specific conditions and provide the best decision-making and treatment. Thus, the dream of precision medicine will definitely come true in the future.

However, the complex nature of sleep medicine also has led us to re-examine whether existing telemedicine is sufficient to meet higher-level medical needs in theory and practice. In my opinion, scientific testing can help us clarify some problems, but we should not only focus on the cold data but also pay attention to real people. The mysteries between asleep and awake are beyond our imagination. In this book, expert authors provide their own knowledge and experience to provide a comprehensive overview of sleep medicine. The book incorporates updated developments as well as future perspectives in the ever-expanding field of sleep medicine. It is a great reference for medical staff (family doctors, ENTs, neurologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, pulmonologists, registered nurses, and the technologists who perform sleep studies), researchers in sleep medicine, social workers, public health practitioners, experts in science, and even patients themselves.

I appreciate everyone who contributed to the editorial process of this book, including the publishing process manager, commissioning editor, and technical editor at IntechOpen. They made great efforts and their wonderful assistance resulted in the success of this academic work. Finally, I am always full of gratitude for my family, teachers, and colleagues.

## **Tang-Chuan Wang (Vincent Wang)**

Chairman of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, China Medical University Hsinchu Hospital, Taiwan

> College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taiwan

> > **1**

Section 1

Physiology and

Mechanisms – Asleep

or Awake

College of Biomedical Engineering, China Medical University, Taiwan

Research Scholar of Harvard Medical School, MA, USA

Research Scholar of University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, IA, USA

Member of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Fellow of the American College of Surgeons Section 1
