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It is not so long ago that sleep— its functions, its dysfunctions, and its origins— were a mystery. A state of near- death, a metaphysical process, a connection to the spiritual world, perhaps a window into our deep unconscious. Even until very recently, the world of sleep remained a puzzle, not only to scientists but also to clinicians. I do not recall any moment of my medical school education dedicated to sleep and its disorders. But over the last few years, our understanding of sleep has leapt forward, through advances in scientific techniques and technologies, and the efforts of academic and clinical researchers around the world. We are able to study the sleep and genetics of large cohorts, utilize novel imaging techniques to understand brain function rather than simply structure, and apply a range of research methodologies in the laboratory setting. In addition to an expanding knowledge of sleep disorders and their management, we are beginning— but only beginning— to comprehend the ramifications of poor or limited sleep on a range of health outcomes: neurological, cardiovascular, immune, psychiatric, respiratory, and pain. And we are also increasingly aware of the bidirectional relationship between a range of medical disorders and sleep, for example, insomnia and depression, or Parkinson’s disease and rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder. It is becoming apparent that a knowledge of sleep and its disorders is an important tenet of many areas of clinical medicine, and is no longer only of relevance to a few clinicians studying patients in a sleep laboratory. And, of course, these conditions are not rare curiosities, only to be seen in a specialist clinic. Complaints regarding sleep are one of the commonest issues raised by patients within the primary care setting. Insomnia affects about 30% of the adult population in any 1 year, about 10% on a chronic basis. Obstructive sleep apnoea affects about 1 in 10 adult males, and 1 in 20 adult females, and is increasing in frequency alongside the expansion of our waistlines. Restless legs syndrome affects about 1 in every 20 people. Sleepwalking is so common in childhood as to be considered almost part of the norm, and persists into adulthood in 1– 2%. Even narcolepsy, viewed as a rare neurological disorder, has a prevalence of about 1 in 2000; any busy physician is likely to see a few patients with narcolepsy, and most primary practices will be looking after a patient or two with this condition. And in parallel with the medical community’s increasing interest in sleep, the general public’s awareness of the importance of sleep and of sleep disorders means that more and more people will present to their doctor with these types of problems. Thus, there is a need for an increased understanding of sleep medicine more widely within the medical community, of diagnostic pathways, and treatment strategies.