The present and the future of sleep research in Asia

In recent years, recognition of the importance of sleep, not only as a health problem but also as a social problem, has brought about worldwide growing interest in sleep and sleep research. In Asian countries, the number of sleep researchers is increasing rapidly and as a result the Asian Sleep Research Society (ASRS) was founded in 1994. This paper reviews the main topics of basic and clinical sleep research which have been investigated recently in Japan and in Asian countries. The subjects of sleep research in Asia in the future will be, in principle, similar to those in other countries of the world. However, the author suggests several subjects which are more or less specific to Asia and which should be studied in association, such as epidemiological longitudinal study of sleep disorders in developing countries, characteristics of sleep and dreaming in oriental culture and philosophy, etc. The roles of ASRS in dissemination of information, promotion of training and education, and enlightenment of public and government were also emphasized.