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CME / ABIM MOC / CE

Is Sleep Essential for Good Health?

  • Authors: News Author: Megan Brooks; CME Author: Laurie Barclay, MD
  • CME / ABIM MOC / CE Released: 7/30/2021
  • THIS ACTIVITY HAS EXPIRED FOR CREDIT
  • Valid for credit through: 7/30/2022
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Target Audience and Goal Statement

This activity is intended for sleep medicine clinicians, neurologists, internists, psychiatrists, nurses, and other members of the healthcare team involved in counseling patients about sleep hygiene.

The goal of this activity is to describe recommendations for sleep health, according to a new position statement from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), which has been endorsed by more than 25 medical, scientific, patient, and safety organizations.

Upon completion of this activity, participants will:

  • Describe background considerations and evidence underlying recommendations for sleep health, according to a new AASM position statement
  • Determine specific recommendations to improve sleep health, according to a new AASM position statement
  • Outline implications for the healthcare team


Disclosures

As an organization accredited by the ACCME, Medscape, LLC, requires everyone who is in a position to control the content of an education activity to disclose all relevant financial relationships with any commercial interest. The ACCME defines "relevant financial relationships" as financial relationships in any amount, occurring within the past 12 months, including financial relationships of a spouse or life partner, that could create a conflict of interest.

Medscape, LLC, encourages Authors to identify investigational products or off-label uses of products regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration, at first mention and where appropriate in the content.


News Author

  • Megan Brooks

    Freelance writer, Medscape

    Disclosures

    Disclosure: Megan Brooks has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

CME Author

  • Laurie Barclay, MD

    Freelance writer and reviewer
    Medscape, LLC

    Disclosures

    Disclosure: Laurie Barclay, MD, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

Editor/Nurse Planner

  • Stephanie Corder, ND, RN, CHCP

    Associate Director, Accreditation and Compliance
    Medscape, LLC

    Disclosures

    Disclosure: Stephanie Corder, ND, RN, CHCP, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

CME Reviewer

  • Esther Nyarko, PharmD

    Associate Director, Accreditation and Compliance
    Medscape, LLC

    Disclosures

    Disclosure: Esther Nyarko, PharmD, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

Medscape, LLC staff have disclosed that they have no relevant financial relationships.


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CME / ABIM MOC / CE

Is Sleep Essential for Good Health?

Authors: News Author: Megan Brooks; CME Author: Laurie Barclay, MDFaculty and Disclosures
THIS ACTIVITY HAS EXPIRED FOR CREDIT

CME / ABIM MOC / CE Released: 7/30/2021

Valid for credit through: 7/30/2022

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Clinical Context

Sleep is biologically necessary for all age groups, and insufficient sleep and untreated sleep disorders can harm health, well-being, and public safety. Sleep-related objectives from Healthy People 2030 aim to improve health, productivity, well-being, quality of life, and safety by helping people get enough sleep.

Study Synopsis and Perspective

Sleep is a "biological necessity" that is "essential to health" -- and inadequate sleep and untreated sleep disorders are detrimental for health, well-being, and public safety, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) said in new position statement.

"While awareness of the value of sleep has risen in the last decade, education about how to achieve healthy sleep and treat sleep disorders is overall lacking in the general public," Kannan Ramar, MBBS, MD, immediate past president of the AASM and practicing sleep medicine specialist at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, told Medscape Medical News.

Federal data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that about one-third of children and adults -- and three-quarters of high school students -- fail to get an adequate amount of sleep on a regular basis.

Time to Talk About Sleep

"Dubbed a 'public health problem' by the CDC, research continues to suggest chronic, insufficient sleep and untreated sleep disorders are linked to increased health and safety risks such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, workplace accidents, and motor vehicle crashes," Ramar said.

"The AASM's Sleep is Essential to Health Position Statement addresses the significant need for greater emphasis on sleep health in public health promotion, clinical practice, inpatient, and long-term care," he told Medscape Medical News.

The statement was published online June 21 in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine and has been endorsed by more than 25 medical, scientific, patient, and safety organizations.

In the statement, the AASM recommends that sleep education have a "prominent place" in grades K through 12 and college health education, medical school and graduate medical education, and educational programs for other health professionals.

J Clin Sleep Med. Published online June 21, 2021.[1]

Study Highlights

  • The AASM emphasized that sleep is essential to health; as important as proper nutrition and regular exercise for health and well-being; and critical for performance and safety.
  • Healthy sleep is vital for cognitive functioning; mood; mental health; and cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and metabolic health in children, adolescents, and adults.
  • Healthy sleep requires adequate sleep duration, good quality as measured by self-rating and objective sleep continuity variables, appropriate timing, regularity, and absence of sleep disorders.
  • Sufficient sleep quantity and quality help prevent accidents and injuries caused by sleepiness and fatigue, including workplace accidents and motor vehicle crashes.
  • Short-term sleep deprivation, long-term sleep restriction, circadian misalignment, and untreated sleep disorders can profoundly impair physical and mental health, mood, and public safety.
  • Chronic insufficient sleep is linked to an increased risk for mortality, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, and cancer.
  • Emerging data suggest that extending the nightly sleep duration of people who habitually get insufficient sleep benefits health.
  • The AASM and the Sleep Research Society (SRS) recommend regularly getting ≥ 7 hours of sleep/night to promote optimal health for the average adult, although individual needs vary.
  • The National Sleep Foundation recommends 7 to 9 hours of sleep/night for adults and 7 to 8 hours/sleep for older adults.
  • Consensus recommendations for pediatric populations vary by age range.
  • These recommendations offer Healthy People 2030 benchmarks to increase the proportion of US children, adolescents, and adults getting sufficient sleep.
  • Nonetheless, CDC data show that 34.1% of children, 74.6% of high school students, and 32.5% of adults fail to meet these goals.
  • Other Healthy People 2030 sleep goals are to reduce the rate of motor vehicle crashes caused by drowsy driving and to increase the proportion of adults with sleep apnea symptoms who get evaluated by healthcare providers (HCPs); infants put to sleep on their backs; infants put to sleep in a safe sleep environment; and secondary schools with start time of 8:30 AM or later.
  • The AASM notes a significant need for greater emphasis on sleep health in education, clinical practice, and inpatient and long-term care.
  • To improve health-related outcomes, public health and workplace interventions should target healthy sleep and should actively promote behaviors that help people attain healthy sleep.
  • The AASM urges educators, HCPs, government agencies, and employers to prioritize promotion of healthy sleep.
  • Sleep education should be prominent in grades K through 12 and college health education, medical school and graduate medical education, and educational programs for other health professionals.
  • During patient encounters, clinicians should routinely inquire about sleep habits and symptoms and circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders.
  • Lack of clinical knowledge and skills are among the most common barriers to HCPs recognizing insomnia in family practice.
  • Sleep medicine is a multidisciplinary field, but knowledge of and interventions for sleep problems should not be limited to specialists.
  • Hospitals and long-term care facilities should optimize sleep conditions by reducing noise, optimizing lighting, and consolidating interruptions needed for patient monitoring.
  • Further sleep and circadian research should clarify the importance of sleep for public health and the contributions of insufficient sleep to health disparities.
  • AASM recommendations for healthy sleep include the following:

− Limit blue light exposure beginning 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime by turning off the TV and electronics and keeping these away from the bed
− Limit alcohol, caffeine, and heavy meals before bedtime. Evening snacks should be small, nonsugary, and easily digestible
− Set morning and bedtime routines, including conditions promoting calm and relaxation at night, and ample time for waking and preparing for daily activities
− Designate the bedroom for sleep, keeping it quiet, dark, and cool, and using the bed only for sleeping, not TV-watching or reading
− Seek evaluation and support for ongoing sleep problems from a board-certified sleep physician at an AASM-accredited sleep center

Clinical Implications

  • Like proper nutrition and regular exercise, sleep is essential to health and well-being.
  • The AASM urges educators, HCPs, government agencies, and employers to prioritize promotion of healthy sleep.
  • Implications for the Healthcare Team: During patient encounters, clinicians should routinely inquire about sleep habits and symptoms and circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders.

 

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