The journal Nature recently published comments from AASM President Dr. Sam Fleishman regarding a book review that discussed the “creeping medicalization of sleep.” Dr. Fleishman expressed concern that this sweeping generalization ignores the drastic consequences of insufficient sleep such as an increased risk of illness and accidents as well as a drop in productivity. Fleishman noted that sleep medicine physicians, like all doctors, have an ethical responsibility to diagnose patients who have a suspected health disorder and provide them with the most effective treatment. Fleishman strongly encouraged physicians to follow the clinical guidelines from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine when it comes to the evaluation and management of sleep illnesses.
