Up to the beginning of modern sleep research, theories about sleep have dominated the scene. With their philosophic background, they must be considered as erroneous by present standards. The history of sleep-inducing drugs has followed its own pathways, which were independent from sleep research. Up to the 19th century, opium and alcohol were used predominantly as hypnotics, later, empirically found chemical compounds were added. Today, new drugs are tested by methods of modern sleep research before they reach the market. Electrophysiology, whose origins are described, formed the basis of electroencephalography (EEG). The history of EEG is an important part of the present exposé. The discovery of rapid eye movements (REM) during sleep has been one of the most important achievements in modern sleep research. It led to a new stage classification - which is still used today - as well as to the discovery of sleep cycles. Subsequently, polysomnography has been increasingly used. Additional methods are actometry and the spectral analysis of the sleep EEG. Research of endogenous sleep substances such as "Delta Sleep Inducing Peptide (DSIP) has been actively pursued in the last 25 years. It is unlikely that one particular endogenous substance underlies sleep regulation. Rather a complex system involving different neurotransmitters must be postulated. Sleep disorders medicine is a new medical discipline which has undergone a rapid development. In the USA more than 1000 "sleep disorders centers" have arisen in the past few years. A description of the new 1990 classification of sleep disorders is provided, and narcolepsy, sleep apnea syndrome and some disturbances of the sleep-wake cycle are briefly characterized.
直至现代睡眠研究开始之前，关于睡眠的理论一直占据主导地位。鉴于其哲学背景，按照当今的标准，这些理论必定被视为错误的。助眠药物的历史有着自身的发展路径，与睡眠研究相互独立。直到19世纪，鸦片和酒精主要被用作催眠药，后来又添加了通过经验发现的化合物。如今，新药在进入市场之前要通过现代睡眠研究方法进行测试。文中描述了其起源的电生理学构成了脑电图（EEG）的基础。脑电图的历史是本文阐述的重要组成部分。睡眠期间快速眼动（REM）的发现是现代睡眠研究最重要的成就之一。它带来了一个至今仍在使用的新的阶段分类，以及睡眠周期的发现。随后，多导睡眠图的使用越来越普遍。其他方法包括活动测量法和睡眠脑电图的频谱分析。在过去25年里，人们一直在积极研究内源性睡眠物质，如“δ睡眠诱导肽（DSIP）”。不太可能有一种特定的内源性物质是睡眠调节的基础。相反，必须假定存在一个涉及不同神经递质的复杂系统。睡眠障碍医学是一门迅速发展起来的新医学学科。在美国，过去几年里涌现出了1000多个“睡眠障碍中心”。文中提供了1990年睡眠障碍新分类的描述，并简要介绍了发作性睡病、睡眠呼吸暂停综合征以及一些睡眠 - 觉醒周期紊乱的特征。
