True to the quote of the leadership guru Ken Blanchard, the eight highly competent leaders and like-minded physicians formed and laid the foundation of the Philippine Society of Sleep Medicine, Inc. (PSSMI) in 2002 with the shared vision of ‘transforming lives of Filipinos through excellent, accessible healthcare and research in sleep.”

The first year saw the incorporation of the Society in the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) with the first Board electing Dr. Felicidad Soto, a neurologist and a pioneer in the field of sleep medicine in the Philippines, being acclaimed as the founding president. Despite having only 12 charter members, it was already considered a breakthrough as it consolidated the forces of sleep medicine across the country.

As soon as the Society was formed, Dr.Soto casted the vision to the charter members and started leading the organization’s trailblazing initiatives. From 2003 to 2005, the PSSM gained traction across the Philippines, particularly through the launch of national events. In 2003, PSSM launched the First Sleep Symposium, coinciding with the global World Sleep Day, which was attended by 60 delegates and participated by pharmaceutical companies and sleep related providers.

With the conduct of national events, PSSM gained more popularity among the circle of physicians that led to the increase of its members in Visayas and Mindanao regions.  As the Society grew, the leadership organized its group by conducting its first ever Strategic Planning where they mapped out the five-year plan of the organization. Two important strategies recognized in the planning were affiliations with regional societies and the establishment of local training programs. Today, these strategies are well-established and integrated into the Society’s program.

In 2007 and 2008, PSSM intensified its efforts to strengthen its membership, as well as the education program of the Society. The year 2008 was historic with the presence of the world-renowned author and pioneer of sleep medicine Dr. Christian Guilleminault, who delivered a Master Lecture to the Society members. It was a once-in-a-lifetime event, which was described by participants as a transformative learning experience from the world’s luminary in sleep medicine.

The next three years, from 2009 to 2011 were marked by initiatives in accreditation and research. In 2008, Dr. Michael Alexius Sarte, the Society’s fifth president, conducted the initial groundwork for the accreditation of sleep laboratories in the country. The groundwork for sleep laboratories accreditation was initiated to standardize and improve the quality of sleep studies and treatments in the Philippines. This would also guarantee that patients receive appropriate and safe care from qualified professionals. In 2011, under the reigns of the Society President Dr. Rosalina Espiritu-Picar,  who spearheaded the institutionalization of the Sleep Research forum. This forum provided a structured platform for coordinating research, standardizing care, and accelerating progress in sleep science and medicine by facilitating funding, collaboration and knowledge dissemination.

Following the best practice initiated in 2006, the PSSM redefined its long-term direction as it conducted the 2nd Strategic Planning in Shangri-la Mactan in 2012–ensuring that resources were allocated well to achieve the organization’s goal and all departments were aligned toward a common vision. The following year, PSSM ushered in a new era of growth in the Society’s membership. Under the leadership of the seventh Society President Dr. Albert L. Rafanan, PSSM formed the accreditation and specialty boards. The Lung Center of the Philippines and Philippine Heart Center attained their accreditation. Twenty thirteen (2013) was a pioneering year with the administration of the first Basic Skills Sleep Tech Workshop with 67 attendees at the Union Bank Plaza and the first Specialty Board Exam with seven out of nine examinees successfully hurdling the test.

Twelve years after the organization began, PSSM, under the guidance of Dr. Virginia S. de los Reyes, exposed its membership to global best practices with the inclusion of international faculty sleep medicine pioneer Dr. Christian Guilleminault and sleep medicine educator Dr. Teofilo Lee-Chiong at the 8th Sleep Symposium in 2014. This Symposium had an impressive attendance of over 200 participants whose theoretical knowledge connected with real-world, global applications, that prepared them for an increasingly interconnected world. In the same year, the 2nd Specialty Board Exam was administered.

Twenty sixteen promised to be another groundbreaking milestone in the Society’s history with a multi-specialty guideline on obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) successfully completed proving that PSSM was wide awake and not sleeping on the job.

In March 2025, PSSM conducted the 18th Annual Convention during the World Sleep Day. It was attended by 30 participating companies and more than 200 participants. Twenty twenty-five (2025) was also a year of many firsts in regional and national campaigns on sleep health promotion—the Sleep Expo held in Clark, Pampanga that brought together sleep partners and the Regional Caravan that gathered clinicians and hospital administrators to assist them in developing sleep services. Another ambitious project rolled-out for the first time was the Drowsy Driving Prevention campaign with the slogan ‘Tabi Muna,’ that launched the three-series TV Commercial (TVC) to the public, including the high-impact LED wall Advertising on EDSA reaching out to millions of Filipinos about the dangers of sleep deprivation and drowsy driving.