CURRENT AND FUTURE METHODOLOGY FOR MONITORING SLEEP

Sleep is much more than simply decreased consciousness, and the distin ctions among the stages of nonREM and REM sleep are of significance fo r the polysomnographer because of their implications for physiologic e vents. The rules for staging sleep are essentially unchanged since the ir original description in 1968. This article describes this system fo r sleep staging, some of its weaknesses, and potential new approaches.