Advance sleep health worldwide
World Sleep Society is issuing a global call to action about the importance of healthy sleep. Friday, March 15, 2019 is the 12th annual World Sleep Day®. Created and hosted by World Sleep Society, World Sleep Day is an internationally recognized awareness event bringing researchers, health professionals and patients together to recognize sleep and its important impact on our health.
World Sleep Day 2019 will incorporate the slogan, ‘Healthy Sleep, Healthy Aging,’ intended to emphasize the importance of sleep in overall health at any age. This focus is purposefully broad in meaning, surrounding the message that quality of life can be improved with healthy sleep. Conversely, when sleep fails, health declines, decreasing quality of life. Sound sleep is a treasured function and one of the core pillars of health. World Sleep Society has compiled ten tips for healthier sleep. These recommendations for children and adults can be viewed on worldsleepday.org under resources.
From the Mayo Clinic Center for Sleep Medicine
Dr. Erik St. Louis, Co-Director of the Mayo Center for Sleep Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota, emphasizes this year’s theme of Healthy Sleep, Healthy Aging by explaining, “For most adults, getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep tonight might be the most important thing you can do to improve your future physical and mental health. Children need even more sleep for optimal learning and play. Recent research shows the importance of adequate amounts of sleep for brain health, since during sleep, the brain washes away toxins that can potentially damage the aging brain that accumulate during the day while we’re awake. Sleep also keeps the brain’s wiring and connections healthy and working at their best, especially when learning and remembering new things from earlier in the day.”
Timothy I. Morgenthaler, MD is Professor of Medicine and Co-Director of the Mayo Clinic Center for Sleep Medicine working as a sleep medicine specialist for over 22 years. “Getting good quality and quantity of sleep is one key to aging well, improving the odds of physical, cognitive and emotional health. Getting good sleep in young adulthood and middle age reduces the risk of obesity and hypertension, protects against age-related cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s Disease, and has been associated with decreased rates of depression. In some studies, regular sleep has even been associated with fewer signs of aging in facial skin and better tissue tone. Look better, feel better, be better. There is a lot to be said for giving good quality sleep a high priority in our daily lives.”
Dr. Erik St. Louis finishes by adding, “We’re excited to support the World Sleep Society’s World Sleep Day initiative to call more attention to the importance of regularly getting adequate amounts of restful sleep. As sleep medicine physicians, we dedicate our careers toward diagnosing and treating sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, insomnia, restless legs syndrome, and other common problems with sleep quality, but this starts with getting the right amount of sleep every night.”
CALL TO ACTION
To participate in World Sleep Day, consider:
· Organizing an event to create excitement and generate interest in World Sleep Day.
· Circulating the official press release with sleep experts and local media.
· Distributing sleep patient literature such as booklets, leaflets and newsletters.
· Finding other ideas at worldsleepday.org.
· Spreading the word on social media about #WorldSleepDay.
More information can be viewed on worldsleepday.org/get-involved/plan.
World Sleep Day is designed to raise awareness of sleep as a human privilege that is often compromised by the habits of modern life. World Sleep Day is an annual awareness event hosted by World Sleep Society.