First National Sleep Conference
March 29-30 Explores Sleep’s Role in Public
Health
Surgeon General, Leading Experts to Discuss
Current Evidence, Future Initiatives
Evidence linking sleep with behavior, mood, and learning
continues to grow. Now, scientists are finding that
reduced or disrupted sleep appears to increase the
risk of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
The first National Sleep Conference, to be held March
29 and 30 at the National Institutes of Health (Natcher
Conference Center, 45 Center Drive), Bethesda, Maryland,
will address the latest evidence regarding sleep and
sleep disorders, and explore ways to improve public
health and safety.
The purpose of the conference is to develop an action
plan for implementing clinical practice changes and
for expanding individuals’ knowledge, attitudes,
and sleep-related behaviors to improve public health
and quality of life. Sponsored by the National Center
on Sleep Disorders Research (NCSDR), “Frontiers
of Knowledge in Sleep & Sleep Disorders –
Opportunities for Improving Health and Quality of
Life,” will draw more than 500 health care providers,
public health and education experts, policy makers,
patient advocates, sleep medicine specialists, and
others. NCSDR (www.nhlbi.nih.gov/sleep)
is administered by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood
Institute (NHLBI), a component of the National Institutes
of Health (NIH) of the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services.
"The depth and breadth of sleep problems is not
fully appreciated in this country," U.S. Surgeon
General Richard H. Carmona said. “Chronic sleep
loss and untreated sleep disorders have a profound
impact on Americans of all ages -- they affect 70
million Americans and cost our nation $15 billion
in health care expenses. It is essential that we get
the public and health care professionals talking about
sleep and the effects of insufficient sleep and sleep
disorders, so they can take the necessary steps to
avoid the dangers of poor sleep and benefit from improved
health and well-being.”
This innovative, two-day program will also look at
how insufficient sleep and sleep disorders impact
the body’s immune function, the development
of psychiatric conditions including depression, and
the progression of other chronic medical conditions
such as breathing disorders and lung diseases, arthritis,
and neurological disorders. Populations at risk for
the detrimental effects of sleep problems, such as
children and adolescents, older adults, women, and
individuals in certain occupations will also be addressed.
“In the ten years since the National Center on
Sleep Disorders Research was established by an act
of Congress, our understanding of sleep and related
biological processes has expanded significantly,”
said NHLBI Acting Director Dr. Barbara Alving. “This
conference is an outstanding opportunity to develop
cost-effective, comprehensive, and broadly applied
strategies to fulfill our mission to communicate the
latest scientific findings about sleep.”
Cosponsors of the conference are the American Academy
of Sleep Medicine, the American Insomnia Association,
the American Sleep Apnea Association, the Narcolepsy
Network, the National Sleep Foundation, the NIH Office
of Rare Diseases, the Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation,
and the Sleep Research Society.
“We are all affected by sleep problems,”
said NCSDR Director Dr. Carl Hunt. “Even if
you personally get sufficient sleep to feel refreshed
each day, chances are you interact with someone who
has a sleep problem. It could be your mother, whose
sleep apnea increases her chances of developing heart
disease; your carpool driver, who might be at increased
risk for a car crash because of poor sleep; or your
child, who has trouble in school because she doesn’t
get enough sleep at night.
“These and other types of sleep problems can
usually be treated or prevented, but they must first
be acknowledged and addressed,” added Dr. Hunt.
“This conference provides a forum for experts
from a variety of fields to take an interdisciplinary,
systematic approach to bridging the gap between knowledge
and effective health care.”
Selected conference presentations:
• Insomnia (Monday, March 29,
9:10 am – 9:30 am)
Dr. Daniel Buysse of the University of Pittsburgh
will provide new evidence that suggests that in some
cases, insomnia may be a disorder of “hyperarousal.”
Other cases of insomnia are secondary to other medical,
psychiatric, neurologic, or medication conditions,
or are associated with other sleep disorders. Dr.
Buysse will also describe the effects of insomnia,
such as increased risk for psychiatric disorders,
decreased quality of life, increased healthcare utilization
and costs, and poor daytime function. He will also
address behavioral and pharmacologic treatments for
insomnia.
• Sleep Disordered Breathing
(Monday, March 29, 9:50 am – 10:10 am)
Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) -- including its
most common form, obstructive sleep apnea –
affects as many as 4 percent of the adult population,
yet it remains significantly underdiagnosed and untreated,
especially among certain ethnic populations such as
African Americans and Native Americans. SDB is associated
with high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease,
as well as excessive daytime sleepiness and diminished
quality of life. Dr. Stuart Quan of the University
of Arizona will discuss the latest diagnostic and
treatment options and barriers to improving care for
SDB patients.
• Sleepiness and Fatigue: Effects on
Performance (Monday, March 29, 11:35 am –
11:55 am)
Sleepiness and fatigue contribute to lapses in attention,
slowed reaction times, errors in working memory, reduced
ability to learn, difficulties with problem solving,
and deficits in executive function. Such performance
problems have serious consequences for safety –
from drowsy driving crashes (which have a fatality
rate and injury severity level similar to alcohol-related
crashes) and public transit incidents including airline
crashes, to medical errors. Dr. David Dinges of the
University of Pennsylvania will describe ways to prevent,
detect, and treat various contributing factors to
sleepiness and fatigue, such as disorders and sedating
medications, work hours and shift work, and lifestyle.
• Adolescents/Children (Monday,
March 29, 2:15 pm – 2:35 pm)
The impact of insufficient sleep and sleep disorders
on children and adolescents can be highly significant,
yet they are often overlooked or misunderstood. Many
children with behavioral problems -- including attention
deficit disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder -- may suffer from reduced sleep, SDB, or
restless legs syndrome. Dr. Mary Carskadon of Brown
University will report
on evidence correlating reduced or disrupted sleep
in children and adolescents with poor school performance,
increased substance use, depressed mood, decreased
self-esteem, poor mood regulation, and excessive sleepiness.
• Women’s Health (Monday,
March 29, 3:15 pm – 3:35 pm)
In addition to sleep problems common to both sexes,
women face specific sleep disturbances during key
phases of life. Dr. Kathryn Lee of the University
of California San Francisco will describe sleep changes
associated with menstrual cycle phases, polycystic
ovary syndrome, and shiftwork schedules. Alterations
in sleep during pregnancy and postpartum will also
be discussed. In addition, sleep disturbances during
the menopausal transition, and the effects of hot
flashes, night sweats, use of hormone therapy, and
ethnic differences will be covered.
Following presentations by leaders in the field of
research translation and dissemination, conference
attendees will participate in group discussions to
identify populations at risk, opportunities for and
barriers to improving public health, and action items
to address each of the following five areas: neurocognitive,
performance, cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes,
and psychiatric disorders.
Participants’ overall recommendations for a national
action plan will be presented in the closing session
comoderated by Dr. Hunt and Dr. William Dement, director
of the Sleep Disorders Research Center of Stanford
University School of Medicine. The founder of the
world’s first sleep disorders clinic, Dr. Dement
chaired the 1990 National Commission on Sleep Disorders
Research, which resulted in the establishment of the
National Center on Sleep Disorders Research in 1993.
The National Sleep Conference program is online at www.sleeptranslation.com.
General registration is limited. However, the conference
will be videocast and can be viewed online through http://videocast.nih.gov.
For more information, call (301) 435-0199. Reporters
can register on-site at the conference Press Room,
Natcher Conference Center, Rooms C1/C2, or in advance
by contacting the NHLBI Communications Office at (301)
496-4236 or nhlbinews@nhlbi.nih.gov.
Additional information about the National Center on
Sleep Disorders Research and related educational,
research, and other programs, can be found at www.nhlbi.nih.gov/sleep.
Health professionals and the public may also call
the NHLBI Information Center at (301) 592-8573.
Other Resources
2003 National Sleep Disorders Research Plan.
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/prof/sleep/res_plan/index.html.
Sleep Well. Do Well. Star Sleeper Campaign.
NCSDR public education program targeting
children ages 7 to 11, their parents, educators, and
healthcare providers about the importance of adequate
nighttime sleep. Launched in February 2001, the campaign
includes a Fun Pad with 48-pages of puzzles and games
with important sleep messages for children, online
quizzes and games, and materials for parents, teachers,
and pediatricians. The campaign is co-sponsored by
Paws, Inc., the creative studio behind Garfield the
Cat, who serves as the campaign's "spokescat."
Information about the campaign is available at
http://starsleep.nhlbi.nih.gov.
Sleep, Sleep Disorders, and Biological Rhythms.
Curriculum supplement for high school biology
teachers developed by the NIH Office of Science Education
(OSE) in cooperation with NCSDR. The free curriculum
encourages high school students to explore the scientific
process of sleep, the importance of good sleep hygiene,
and the negative consequences of sleep deprivation
for society. For more information, visit the OSE Website
at
http://science-education.nih.gov/supplements/nih3/sleep/default.htm.
Neurobiology of Sleep Onset and Maintenance:
Implications for Insomnia. Report of NIH
Workshop, September 10-11, 2001,
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/about/ncsdr/research/insomnia.pdf
NIH fact sheet on sleep and sleep disorders.
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/health_and_medical/pubs/understanding_sleep_brain_basic_.htm
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