Federal Sleep Health Caucus Continues to Address Rising Sleep Debt and Proper Treatment of Disorders

By Admin

Established by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), the United States Congressional Caucus on Sleep Health is a bipartisan effort to promote better sleep habits and improve treatments for Americans with sleep disorders. Beginning in October of last year, the caucus became official when the House of Representatives Committee on House Administration revised its roster of congressional member organizations (CMOs) for the 116th Congress. Co-chaired by Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren of California and Republican Rep. Rodney Davis of Illinois, the caucus has continued its focus on sleep health improvement for all Americans, hosting briefings on issues such as the elimination of daylight saving time, later school starting times for young students, and public education campaigns for sleep disorder prevention. At a time when sleep disorders and sleep health issues have become an increasingly widespread problem, in part due to the stress and upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, a large-scale effort to promote sleep health solutions and improve access to quality healthcare is a national imperative.

“Its clear that sleep hygiene is a matter of public health,” Rep. Lofgren told the AASM, describing the new caucus as an opportunity to “highlight and promote sleep research at a federal level.” For those with sleep apnea and other common sleep-related disorders, this provides an opportunity for policy solutions that could further advance sleep medicine and improve patient-centered healthcare. By providing incentives for more long-term treatment solutions for sleep disorders and other sleep problems, the caucus hopes to spread its message of prioritizing sleep health needs throughout the country and beyond.

Prioritizing Sleep Health in America

When it began, the Congressional Caucus on Sleep Health organized a set of principles to help guide their activities. According to the AASM, the caucus has pledged to make the following focus areas part of their primary agenda for 2021:

The importance of sleep health for overall health, well-being, productivity, and public safety
The prevalence of sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and the effectiveness of available treatments such as CPAP and other forms of PAP therapy
Increased availability of professional services from accredited sleep health facilities
Further sleep health research and advancement of sleep health technologies

In addition to these focus areas, the caucus will also highlight the relationship between sleep health and whole body health, as sleep disorders are often related to other comorbid conditions with long-term effects on wellness and quality of life. By introducing new policy, such as later school opening times for young students, the caucus can potentially have a direct and positive effect on millions of Americans.

By raising awareness and directing resources toward widespread problems like insomnia and sleep apnea, the sleep health caucus can help more people get the treatment they need for a better quality of life. And by addressing sleep health in general through promotion and education, the caucus can help many Americans return to more restful sleep routines and healthier lifestyles. During a global health crisis, the promotion of sleep health is more important than ever, and this caucus represents a step in the right direction for a country seemingly at odds with its own sleep-related priorities.

Sleep Health and the Pandemic

While sleep problems have been on the rise in the U.S. for several years, the current pandemic has led to a surge in sleep complaints throughout the country. One study found that the number of search queries for insomnia increased by 58 percent in the first five months of 2020 compared to the rates of the previous three years. At the same time, rates of depression, anxiety, and stress have risen to over three times the rates of the previous year. Sleeplessness has become so common in 2020 that some researchers use the term “coronasomnia” to describe it, suggesting that a specific condition has emerged from the pandemic. Since sleep and stress affect overall health in so many ways, people can become more susceptible to COVID-19 as a result of the physical, mental, and emotional changes the virus brings to our daily lives. Sleep apnea in particular can lead to more progressive cases of COVID-19 illness, especially if left untreated. Like a double edged sword, the stress of daily life during a pandemic can compromise our immune systems when we need them most, making our bodies less capable of withstanding a potential infection. In the same way, our need for more and better sleep increases during stressful times when many of us find it difficult to rest.

Government organizations like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have published lists of recommendations to address sleep health issues during the pandemic, emphasizing the links between sleep and health that can improve immune system functions. At the top of their list, the NIH reminds Americans to make sleep a priority, “just as you would for physical activity and healthy eating.” Keeping consistent routines can be challenging during the pandemic, but according to the NIH, our internal biological clocks cannot be reset as easily as a daily schedule. The NIH also provides a list of what to avoid, for example, nicotine, caffeine, artificial light from devices, or nap times at late hours. Other recommendations, such as the importance of natural light during the day, can be very easily overlooked at a time when many people are focused on other concerns, but as both the NIH and the AASM point out, health should be at the top of our priorities at all times. This is why education and access to information is such an important part of healthcare. With the help of the Congressional Caucus on Sleep Health, public information services like those of the NIH will receive further attention to increase their reach to American citizens.

Sleep Health and the Future

Now that the U.S. government has increased its attention on sleep health concerns, it is the job of every American to practice good sleep hygiene and address any problems that arise. The goal of improving sleep for all Americans is a collective effort that is only slowly gaining ground now as one of many health concerns during the COVID-19 epoch. As the pandemic wanes, it will be extremely important to continue on the current trajectory toward a nationwide effort to end sleep debt and provide optimal treatment to all those experiencing sleep disorders.

It is the hope of the AASM that further representatives will join the Caucus on Sleep Health and help in their efforts to spread the word of better sleep and better health for all Americans.

To send a message to your own congressional delegation requesting support for the Sleep Health Caucus, you can send a letter or email to your district office using the USA.gov elected officials webpage.

Sources

AASM.org - https://aasm.org/aasm-establishes-congressional-sleep-health-caucus/

AASM.org - Position Statement on Later Starting Times for Schools - https://aasm.org/advocacy/position-statements/delaying-school-start-times-student-health/

AASM.org - Sleep Education Campaigns - https://sleepeducation.org/get-involved/campaigns/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/index.html

Congress.gov - https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/1861/text

EXCLI Journal - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7658458/

JAMA Network - https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2770146

Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine - Prevalence of Sleep Disorders - https://jcsm.aasm.org/doi/abs/10.5664/jcsm.8482

Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine - Search Queries - https://jcsm.aasm.org/doi/10.5664/jcsm.8810

Journal of Sleep Research - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jsr.13231

National Institutes of Health - https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/news/2020/covid-and-sleep-better-slumber-during-pandemic-may-help-protect-your-health

Federal Sleep Health Caucus Continues to Address Rising Sleep Debt and Proper Treatment of Disorders

Posted at May 23, 2021