Sleep medicine
The sleep medicine is mainly concerned with the sleep disorder , its causes and effects on the body as well as the diagnosis ( sleep laboratory ) and treatment of sleep or sleep-wake disorders.
The German-speaking professional societies are:
- in Germany the " German Society for Sleep Research and Sleep Medicine " (DGSM)
- in Austria the " Austrian Society for Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research " (ÖGSS)
- in Switzerland the "Swiss Society for Sleep Research, Sleep Medicine and Chronobiology" (SGSSC), also called "Swiss Society for Sleep Research, Sleep Medicine and Chronobiology" (SSSSC),
international:
- "European Sleep Research Society" (ESRS)
- "Sleep Research Society" (SRS)
- "World Federation of Sleep Research Societies" (WFSRS)
- American Thoracic Society with over 18,000 members worldwide.
A distinction is made between 88 clinical pictures of sleep disorders . The diagnosis is usually made by connecting the patient to polysomnography machines, usually for two nights . This measures body signals such as brain waves , heart rate , breathing movements in the chest and stomach, muscle tension , eye movement , air flow in the mouth and nose, body position and body temperature , snoring noises or oxygen saturation in the blood .
The research in this area is sleep research , the area is called somnology .