Sleep Research, Education, and Awareness
Have you heard of orthosomnia? Unlike insomnia, which relates to difficulty in falling and staying asleep, orthosomnia is the obsession with perfect sleep, where people engage in activities meant to optimize their sleep cycles. And while you might think that this obsession pays off in high-quality sleep, research has shown that it actually leads to worse outcomes, including anxiety. This growing obsession is but one of the many sleep issues that people grapple with in today’s society. But luckily, there are three key pillars that help people understand their sleep better so as to avoid such pitfalls. These are research, professional education, and public awareness.
Research on Sleep
Scientific inquiries have always been at the heart of advancing society. Whether we are trying to figure out how to ferment sauerkraut at home or use less fuel in cars, studies help us determine what works and what does not. In the same way, we turn to scientific studies in trying to understand how sleep works. These studies take place in different institutions, ranging from universities to hospitals, private foundations, and research institutes. And they involve professionals such as medical researchers, psychologists, and neuroscientists, all of whom look into different aspects of sleep to help us understand it better. For example, neuroscientists look at brain activity during sleep while psychologists study behavioral patterns following specific sleep conditions. The idea here is to engage in a multi-disciplinary approach such that each sleep aspect is studied in detail, as this allows us to understand how we sleep and how it affects us.
To do this, these professionals engage in various methods, including:
Polysomnography (PSG)
Researchers often rely on PSG in sleep studies as it not only helps them measure brain waves but also provides accurate data about eye movements, muscle activity, and heart rate. This way, it is easy for them to tell what sleep stage a person is in and whether they are going through all the sleep cycles.
Actigraphy
These are wearable devices that are able to track movement so as to estimate sleep-wake cycles. This method has proven so useful that many wearables companies are relying on it to create their own versions of lab devices, which people can use at home.
Genetic Studies
Did you know that your genes can play a part in your sleep patterns? Medical researchers are known to study genetic makeup as they determine whether some sleep disorders are predictable based on genes, among other influences on sleep.
Neuroimaging
We know that sleep affects our overall health. But to what extent? Scientists often use MRI and PET scans to study the brain structure and function to understand how sleep patterns have affected them.
Clinical Trials
These common studies involve taking people through treatments or having them use new devices to see how well they will respond. For example, a study can test a new sleep apnea device on people with this disorder to test its effectiveness.
At the end of the day, research has one goal, and that is to answer the questions that we have about sleep.
Impact on Sleep Health
From all these studies, do researchers find ways to improve our sleep? A resounding yes! From their findings, we are able to:
Understand Sleep Disorders
Many people around the world are unable to sleep well because they are affected by disorders such as insomnia and restless leg syndrome. Research is able to identify such barriers to sleep, which is essential in helping people know that their sleep patterns are explainable.
Explaining Systemic Health
Through various studies, researchers have been able to prove that poor sleep does not just affect people on a daily basis but instead has a long-term effect on their health. They have found that lifestyle diseases, such as obesity and diabetes, have a close link with poor sleep quality. What’s more, they have found that poor sleep quality erodes mental health and puts people at risk of mood disorders such as depression and anxiety.
Developing Treatments
Researchers do not stop at identifying the barriers to sleep and how this affects our health. Instead, they go a step further to seek solutions to these barriers. That is why we have medications and devices to help people sleep better. For example, people with circadian rhythm disorders can take melatonin, while those with sleep apnea can now use CPAP machines, and these interventions help these affected individuals enjoy better sleep.
Guiding the Society
Much of the information we have about sleep stems from scientific research. For example, before researchers started advocating for adults to get 7 to 9 hours of sleep, they had embarked on several studies to determine the effects of various sleep schedules before selecting the one with the highest health benefits.
By revealing how sleep works and highlighting the benefits of sleep to us, researchers provide us with much-needed answers that pave the way for us to sleep much better.
Professional Education
Researchers uncover so much about sleep that they are continuously publishing papers in scientific journals to relay their findings to their peers and the world at large. Truth be told, with all the facts and figures that are constantly being updated, it can be quite a challenge to make heads or tails of all the information available to date. After all, how many people have the time or know-how to go through paper after paper so as to decide how much to sleep and when? Luckily, everyday people do not have to do all that, as medical professionals act as the bridge to all of this data.
You see, the medical field employs a wide range of professionals who are tasked with taking care of people’s health. These include doctors, nurses, psychologists, sleep technologists, and educators, all of whom have to understand how sleep works in order to provide optimal care to their patients. So, they must go through adequate training on the same, which involves the following:
Medical Schools
Before medical professionals can start working in medical institutions, they go through years of school, followed by years of residency. They get to learn quite a lot about the human body, and part of this training includes sleep medicine. While this aspect was previously not emphasized much, times have since changed in its favor, given the impact of sleep on health.
Specialized Training
Beyond medical school, medical professionals have countless opportunities to expand their knowledge on sleep health through additional training. Not only do physicians do this to get board certifications in sleep medicine, but also other professionals engage in these classes to advance in their own fields.
Continuing Education
Hospitals and other medical institutions often hold workshops and conferences where researchers are able to share new data on human health. Medical professionals often attend these events to learn more, and here, they get to find out more about how they can best support their patients.
It also helps to note that sleep education tends to be interdisciplinary, such that various medical professionals study sleep health, from pulmonologists down to pediatricians. This approach ensures that no matter which professional a patient sees, they get accurate insights into sleep health.
Role in Sleep Health
Sleep health has now become a vital aspect in medical interventions, and professional education has aided this in the following ways:
Diagnosis and Treatment
With medical professionals now knowledgeable about sleep disorders, such as insomnia, they are able to identify these sleep challenges early. Moreover, they are able to rely on the existing research to recommend effective medical interventions, be they medications or devices. For example, in the US, at least 50 million people have been diagnosed with sleeping disorders, which has aided in their treatment.
Incorporation Into Care
For a long time, sleep health was on the back burner as most medical professionals were unaware of just how much it impacted their well-being. But thanks to professional education, these same professionals are now paying more attention to their patients’ sleeping habits and accounting for these in their checkups. This focus is especially so for people who have already been diagnosed with sleeping disorders.
Patient Education
People tend to trust their doctors when it comes to what they should do to improve their health. As such, medical professionals are actively taking part in patient education. Not only are they teaching them about sleep hygiene, but they are also helping them make lifestyle changes that can improve their sleep and thus, their health.
The Standardization of Care
Medical professionals have always had optimal ranges that allow them to determine when a person meets the criteria for health. For example, to determine whether someone has a thyroid disorder, medical professionals rely on indicators such as the level of the thyroid-stimulating hormone, alongside the levels of free T3 and T4. In the same way, they have now come up with standard diagnostic criteria for sleep health as well as the recommended treatment protocols, which have enabled them to streamline their diagnostic and treatment approaches as a whole.
Best of all, the new knowledge about sleep health has prompted medical professionals to collaborate with each other when dealing with complex yet related medical cases, such as obesity and sleep apnea. In this way, they are no longer treating poor sleep as a condition on its own but as an issue that can not only lead to other health problems but can also stem from existing health issues.
Public Awareness
As much as medical professionals are playing a critical role in sharing information about sleep while treating their patients, they have a lot on their plates, and they cannot shoulder this burden alone. What’s more, there are many people around the world who do not have access to quality medical care or who do not go to the hospital for one reason or another. As such, relying on the medical field for information on sleep health is not practical if we are to help billions of people overhaul their sleeping habits.
Luckily, there are many other stakeholders within the community who are just as invested in bettering people’s sleep. These include governments, non-governmental organizations, schools, employers, the media, community boards, and even individuals. In their own way, all these players contribute to advancing the knowledge that we have about sleep. But how?
Widespread Campaigns and Initiatives
Governments, non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders periodically host events where they educate the public about the benefits of sleep. These initiatives take place at the international as well as the local levels. On the global front, we have days dedicated to spreading awareness about sleep, during which people receive tidbits on what they can do to change their sleeping habits for the better. And on the local scale, different organizations host events to share sleep research. For example, workplaces can engage in wellness programs where they have professionals come and talk to their employees about the importance of prioritizing enough sleep.
Policy Advocacy
Governments are in charge of making and implementing policies, not just in school but also in the workplace, and these have an effect on sleep health. For example, when school start times are too early, children may be unable to get enough sleep. As such, governments work with schools and industries in coming up with better rules that enhance people’s quality of life. At the same time, other stakeholders work to raise awareness about gaps in sleep health so that governments can pay more attention to these issues.
School and Community Programs
Schools often organize events where they invite researchers and medical professionals to share more about the benefits of sleep, not just for the children but also for their parents. Here, both parents and children get to learn more about the importance of sleep hygiene and the changes they can make to improve how they sleep. Communities also often embark on such initiatives where they invite the locals to such talks in the hopes of encouraging them to make healthier choices.
Media Coverage
As we said, there is a lot of research on sleep, but going through it all can prove challenging. Luckily, there are thousands of people who are willing to scour this information, simplify it, and share it with their audiences. These include bloggers, vloggers, podcasters, and more. Furthermore, there are many companies that are now designing wearables to help people learn more about how they sleep.
With all this information, people are able to make more informed decisions about their sleep health, all without having to read scientific papers. It is important to note, though, that the source of information matters and verifying the stated facts is always advisable.
Effect on Sleep Health
While we said that some people have become obsessed with perfect sleep in the wake of all this new information about sleep, the truth is that public awareness has done more good than harm in the following ways:
Empowerment
Many people struggle with sleep disorders without quite knowing that they have health issues. In fact, while many people are undergoing treatment for their sleep challenges, current statistics show that millions of people around the world still have undiagnosed sleeping disorders. The availability of research findings on sleep issues takes away the confusion and stigma around such health issues and allows people to seek help.
Encouraging Healthy Habits
People have come to learn that better sleep habits have a positive effect on their physical, mental, and emotional states. What’s more, they now know that sleeping better comes down to simple and practical measures such as limiting screen time and sticking to a schedule. The simplicity of this has encouraged more people to take action now rather than wait for their sleep issues to compound into health problems.
Pushing for Policy Changes
Public awareness has prompted people to demand better systems, including better hours both at school and at work, as they now understand that these have an effect on their health.
Over time, we have seen a change in societal attitudes as people embrace the growing body of sleep research. While people glorified sleep deprivation in the past because of hustle culture, more people are now choosing rest as a way to recover and support their overall health to avoid complications later in their lives.