IOM Report on Sleep Disorders and Sleep
Deprivation
Statement from Elizabeth G. Nabel, MD
Director, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Today, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies
released a report on the status of academic sleep research and sleep
medicine in the United States. The report includes recommendations
to improve public awareness and strengthen the field of sleep medicine.
The project was initiated and funded by the National Institutes
of Health (NIH), the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Sleep Research
Society, and the National Sleep Foundation.
"Sleep Disorders and Sleep Deprivation: An Unmet Public Health
Problem" represents the culmination of 18 months of work conducted
by a 14-member multidisciplinary ad hoc Committee on Sleep Medicine
and Research appointed by the IOM.
Because of the inherently cross-cutting nature of sleep medicine,
several Institutes and Centers at NIH support related research,
training, and education activities. These activities are coordinated
by the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research (NCSDR) and the
Trans-NIH Sleep Research Coordinating Committee with input from
the Sleep Disorders Research Advisory Board (SDRAB). The SDRAB includes
academic researchers, private citizens, and non-voting representatives
from Federal agencies. The IOM report will inform the SDRAB and
the NCSDR as they advise NIH on sleep research, education, and training
needs.
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) commends
the IOM committee for its in-depth review of the public health significance
of sleep loss and sleep disorders, and its analysis of national
research and clinical resources to meet current and future needs.
The NCSDR, which NHLBI administers, will give the IOM committee’s
recommendations careful consideration as it coordinates and integrates
sleep research and training efforts at the NIH.
Since the U.S. Congress mandated the establishment of the NCSDR
in 1993, sleep research and training programs have contributed significantly
to improving our understanding of sleep. For example, recent findings
indicate that the chronic lack of sleep and untreated sleep disorders
may be factors in the development of cardiovascular disease, obesity,
and diabetes. Sleep also plays a role in our ability to learn and
perform at our best. In short, sleep loss and untreated sleep disorders
have a substantial impact on public health and safety.
To learn more about healthy sleep and sleep disorders:
“Your Guide to Healthy Sleep,”
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/sleep/healthy_sleep.htm
Sleep, Sleep Disorders, and Biological Rhythms supplemental curriculum
for use in high school biology classes
http://osedev.od.nih.gov/supplements/nih3/sleep/default.htm.
Star Sleeper educational materials for children and their caregivers
http://starsleep.nhlbi.nih.gov.
National Center on Sleep Disorders Research
www.nhlbi.nih.gov/sleep
Institute of Medicine Committee on Sleep Medicine and Research
www.iom.edu/sleep
The National Center on Sleep Disorders Research was established
in 1993 through U.S. congressional legislation authorizing support
for sleep-related research and educational programs, and the coordination
of related activities among the NIH, other federal agencies, and
nongovernmental organizations. NIH annually funds more than $189
million in sleep-related research conducted by researchers in universities
and hospitals in the U.S. and abroad. For more information, visit
www.nhlbi.nih.gov/sleep.
Part of the National Institutes of Health, the National Heart,
Lung, and Blood Institute plans, conducts, and supports research
related to the causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart,
blood vessel, lung, and blood diseases; and sleep disorders. The
Institute also administers national health education campaigns on
women and heart disease, healthy weight for children, and other
topics. NHLBI press releases and other materials are available online
at: www.nhlbi.nih.gov.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's
Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and
Centers and is a component of the U. S. Department of Health and
Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting
and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research,
and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common
and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs,
visit http://www.nih.gov..
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