Understanding Sleep Physiology
We represent a campus-wide affiliation of faculty with major research interest in sleep, biological rhythms, their fundamental importance to human health, and the illnesses that disrupt them.
The University of Michigan Center for Sleep Science is an affiliation of faculty who seek to advance understanding of normal sleep physiology and the diagnosis, pathophysiology, and treatment of sleep illnesses.
More than 70 faculty from several schools and many different departments participate in the Center for Sleep Science. Each of these faculty has a major interest in research and education on sleep or biological rhythms. With such a large number of talented faculty specializing in sleep, the Center is able to coordinate dissemination of relevant information, and facilitate opportunities that require a large and diverse set of interests.
In addition to spending much of our time sleeping, sleep is incredibly important to our functioning as humans. Yet, millions of Americans suffer from sleep illnesses that can lead to serious health problems, such as high blood pressure, stroke, and even death.
Despite the rapid growth in the field of sleep medicine in the last 50 years, much is still not known about sleep and its disorders. American medical schools devote few hours to sleep medicine in training physicians. While recognizing recent achievements in sleep medicine, the UM Center for Sleep Science strives to push the leading edge forward.