Research on Sleep Medicine: Practice and Challenges

Dear Colleagues,

Sleep medicine is a rather nascent but dynamic area of research in various disciplines, such as medicine, neuroscience and psychology, dedicated to understanding the complexities of sleep and its impact on human health.

The first focus of sleep research is to define sleep characteristics and mechanisms of their development through the life span. Furthermore, it explores the role of sleep on human body functions and overall well-being. Studies have shown that sleep plays a vital role in cognitive function, emotional regulation, and physical health. Researchers investigate how sleep patterns and sleep deprivation affect these areas, shedding light on the importance of maintaining healthy sleep habits. Moreover, the contribution of epidemiological parameters, such as demographics, societal and environmental factors, are also being investigated in terms of their effect on human sleep.

The second focus of sleep medicine research is the study of sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, insomnia, and restless leg syndrome. Researchers aim to unravel the underlying mechanisms of these conditions, which can disrupt a person's sleep patterns and lead to various health problems. By investigating the causes and consequences of sleep disorders, they seek to develop effective treatments and interventions, both pharmacological and non-pharmacological,  to improve the affected individuals’ quality of life.

Recent studies in sleep medicine research include the identification of biomarkers such as hormones, EEG, inflammation and stress markers, etc. and diagnostic tools for sleep/ sleep disorders, while the development of personalized treatment approaches are also being investigated.

This Special Issue invites articles on sleep medicine research focusing on the role of sleep in human health as well as the challenges posed by sleep disorders aiming to improve the diagnosis, treatment, and overall management of sleep-related issues, ultimately leading to healthier sleep for individuals.

Dr. Maria Basta
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• normal sleep
• sleep habits
• sleep apnea
• insomnia
• sleep disorders
• sleep biomarkers
• pharmacological/non pharmacological treatment