Resources for Health Care Professionals

The National Healthy Sleep Awareness Project equips health care professionals with tools and resources to promote healthy sleep and screen for sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the project is led by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) in collaboration with the Sleep Research Society (SRS) and other partners.

Healthy sleep is one of the three pillars of a healthy lifestyle, along with nutrition and exercise. As a vital sign of good health and well-being, healthy sleep has a positive impact on nearly every key public health indicator. Healthy sleep reduces the risk of physical and mental health problems, accidents, injuries, disability and mortality.

The Healthy Sleep Project promotes the achievement of the Healthy People 2020 sleep health objectives:

Increase the proportion of persons with symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea who seek medical evaluation
Reduce the rate of vehicular crashes per 100 million miles traveled that are due to drowsy driving
Increase the proportion of students in grades 9 through 12 who get sufficient sleep
Increase the proportion of adults who get sufficient sleep

Health care professionals can help improve public health and safety by promoting healthy sleep and screening for sleep disorders.

PATIENT ASSESSMENT

Self-assessment tool: Are you at-risk for obstructive sleep apnea?
This resource helps patients identify the common symptoms of sleep apnea. It also helps them understand their risk factors for this chronic disease. Patients can download, print and complete this self-assessment to discuss their sleep apnea risk with their health care provider.

Provider Fact Sheet – Shift Work
This resource provides important information for clinicians about the risks of shift work disorder, a sleep disorder characterized by insomnia and/or excessive sleepiness that occurs when a recurring work schedule overlaps with the usual sleep episode. Clinicians can download and print this fact sheet, which provides tips for patients who participate in shift work.

REFERENCES

Recommended amount of sleep for pediatric populations
A Consensus Statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine

Consensus statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine on the recommended amount of sleep for healthy children
Methodology and Discussion

Recommended amount of sleep for a healthy adult
A Joint Consensus Statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society

Joint consensus statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society on the recommended amount of sleep for a healthy adult
Methodology and Discussion

Development of the National Healthy Sleep Awareness Project sleep health surveillance questions
Morgenthaler TI, Croft JB, Dort LC, Loeding LD, Mullington JM, Thomas SM

Quality measure for screening for adult obstructive sleep apnea by primary care physicians
Aurora RN, Quan SF

Delaying Middle School and High School Start Times Promotes Student Health and Performance
An American Academy of Sleep Medicine Position Statement

High school start times and the impact on high school students: what we know, and what we hope to learn
Morgenthaler TI, Hashmi S, Croft JB, Dort L, Heald JL, Mullington J

PROVIDER EDUCATION ARTICLES

The Healthy Sleep Project assembled a workgroup of sleep medicine specialists to write professional education articles for health care providers on a variety of sleep-related topics. For permission to publish any of the following articles in your professional society magazine or newsletter, please contact the AASM at [email protected].

First Responders and Increased Risk for Sleep Deprivation
Shalini Paruthi, MD

Shift Work and Health
Tomasz J. Kuzniar, MD, PhD and Cathy A. Goldstein, MD

Atrial Fibrillation and Sleep Apnea: A Case Report
Tomasz J. Kuzniar, MD

Stroke and Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Cathy Goldstein, MD, MS

Teenagers: Sleep Patterns and School Performance
Marlene Typaldos, MD and Daniel G. Glaze, MD, FAASM

Pediatric Populations at High Risk for Sleep Apnea
Daniel Combs, MD and Sairam Parthasarathy, MD

Indicators of and Screening for Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Matthew Scharf, MD, PhD, and Ilene M. Rosen, MD, MSCE

Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Barry G. Fields, MD and Ilene M. Rosen, MD, MSCE

Diagnosis and Treatment of Restless Legs Syndrome During Pregnancy
Jonathan P. Hintze, MD and Shalini Paruthi, MD

Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Commercial Drivers
Erin O’Shea, DO and Anthony Izzo, DO

BADGES

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Updated June 22, 2016