ABSTRACT
Sleep-associated breathing disorders have been recognized for centuries and colorful de scriptions can be found in historical texts, yet little attention was paid to these disorders until recently. Most physicians practicing today did not learn about sleep disorders during their clinical training in medical school or residency. Fortunately, extensive work to gain a better understanding of this long-neglected group of diseases has led to recognition of how common, debilitating, and potentially fatal they can be. Sleep disorders are receiving increasing attention in the medical literature and in the popular press, and patients often raise concerns about sleep disorders, including sleep-disordered breathing, during visits to their primary care physicians. Sleep-disordered breathing has become an important clinical problem for primary care physicians.
