# Being in the right place at the right time

## TL;DR

The paper recounts a sleep researcher's journey and contributions to understanding sleep disorders in aging, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and cancer patients.

## Contribution

The author pioneered studies on sleep and circadian rhythms in aging and neurodegenerative diseases, including early work on sleep apnea and light therapy in nursing homes.

## Key findings

- Sleep apnea and periodic limb movements are common in the elderly.
- Light therapy improved sleep in nursing home residents.
- Sleep and circadian rhythms were studied in breast cancer patients before chemotherapy.

## Abstract

This paper is a review of my life as a sleep researcher and clinician. I chanced into sleep by being at the right place at the right time. Over the last 45 years, I became an expert on sleep and circadian rhythms in aging, in Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease and in cancer. We were one of the first to show how common sleep apnea and periodic limb movements in sleep are in the elderly. We “moved” into the nursing home and showed how disrupted sleep is in these patients. We used light therapy to improve sleep in the nursing home. We studied the effect of CPAP on sleep and cognition in both Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. And we were some of the first to study sleep and circadian rhythms in women with breast cancer, starting the evaluations before they started their chemotherapy. These studies were both observational and treatment studies. I am very proud of the work we did. For me, everything revolves around sleep. And that is the beginning of my story.