Now more than ever before, the importance of sleep on health and wellbeing is being studied. Sleep specialists research the science of sleep—including the stages of sleep, the biological clock, health connections and more. They determine the effectiveness of popular sleep tools like sleep trackers and sleep aids like melatonin, and lead the way in new treatment options for chronic lack of sleep and sleep conditions.

One way doctors collect information is through a sleep study. During a sleep study, doctors diagnose and treat a variety of sleep disorders, including sleep apnea, insomnia and restless legs syndrome. Sleep studies can also serve as an evaluation for certain causes of excessive sleepiness.