ACCREDITED SLEEP DISORDERS CENTERS. If you feel that you have a sleep disorder and wish a complete evaluation of your sleep, the team of specialists at an accredited sleep disorders center will provide the full range of services you need. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine accredits sleep disorders centers meeting detailed and rigorous standards. An application must be submitted and reviewed by members of the Accreditation Committee. Then a site visit is scheduled to review the policies, procedures, equipment, facility and personnel of the center. The standards require that the center provide a range of tests and treatments for insomnia sleep disorders to meet the needs of the community it serves. If a center does not have qualified medical personnel on staff to treat insomnia sleep disorders, there is an arrangement with an appropriate associated practitioner to provide services.

DIPLOMATES OF THE AMERICAN BOARD OF SLEEP MEDICINE. The director of an accredited sleep disorders center must be a diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine. Larger sleep centers may have more than one diplomate. Sleep disorders specialists may seek recognition from the American Board of Sleep Medicine. The Board requires candidates to meet educational requirements and then pass a test of their knowledge of sleep disorders medicine. A significant portion of the training and test focuses on recognizing and treating insomnia sleep disorders. Each accredited sleep disorders center must have a diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine on staff.

BEHAVIORAL SLEEP MEDICINE CERTIFICATION. If you have been diagnosed with insomnia and feel that medications are not working, or if you are uncomfortable with the use of medications to promote sleep, you may wish to contact a specialist with certification in Behavioral Sleep Medicine. The Behavioral Sleep Medicine Committee of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine awards certification to sleep specialists with special qualifications in the behavioral treatment of sleep disorders. Training, experience and an examination are required for certification. Practitioners are expert in the prevention, assessment and treatment of sleep disorders and associated behavioral and emotional problems using established principles of behavior change.

• No More Sleepless Nights, Revised Edition, by Peter Hauri PhD, and Shirley Linde PhD (John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1996)
• Say Goodnight to Insomnia, by G. D. Jacobs and H. Benson (Owl Books, 1999)

• Insomnia Psychological Assessment and Management, by Charles M. Morin PhD (Guilford Press, New York, 1993)
• The Promise of Sleep, by W. C. Dement and C. Vaughn (Delacorte Press, 1999)
• Treatment of Late-Life Insomnia, by Kenneth L. Lichstein and Charles M. Morin (Eds.). (Sage Publishers, Thousand Oaks, CA, 2000).