Campaign to include Congressional Briefing on Sleep and Mental Health
WASHINGTON, Jan. 25, 2024 - Today, the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) announced Sleep Awareness Week® 2024 will take place from March 10-16. Sleep Awareness Week, now in its 26th year, is the NSF's annual campaign emphasizing the importance of sleep to health and well-being and a call to action for the public to prioritize getting enough of the quality sleep they need.
As part of this year's campaign, NSF further announced it will hold a Congressional Briefing on sleep health and mental health on Wednesday, March 13. The Briefing, entitled Sleep Health is Mental Health, is being held courtesy of the Senate Mental Health Caucus. Members of Congress, staff, and interested stakeholders will hear from a multidisciplinary expert panel about the association between sleep health and mental health, plus discuss opportunities to effect positive change while Congress works towards comprehensive mental health legislation.
Established in 1998 by the National Sleep Foundation, Sleep Awareness Week is the premier awareness and education campaign for sleep health. Each year, NSF releases results of its hallmark Sleep in America® Poll during the campaign week. The Sleep in America poll helps the public understand key attitudes, behaviors, and experiences with sleep health and explores a broad range of topics from aging, to exercise, to pain, to incorporating healthy sleep behaviors into daily living. Most recently, the 2023 Sleep in America poll reinforced how sleep health and healthy sleep behaviors are strongly associated with mental health in adults.
"National Sleep Foundation continues to be a unique, evergreen resource for the public and any organization concerned about the connection between sleep and health," said Temitayo Oyegbile-Chidi, MD, PhD, Chair of the NSF Board of Directors. "During Sleep Awareness Week we are excited to release important results and the latest insights from our newest research with the public: these data continue to reveal opportunities to increase the importance of sleep health among the public."
Sleep Awareness Week begins at the start of Daylight Saving Time, when most Americans change their clocks and lose an hour of sleep.
"If we want to improve our health and look and feel our best, we can start by focusing on our sleep," said John Lopos, CEO of NSF. "NSF is here to help anyone and everyone be their Best Slept Self® and ultimately that's what our Sleep Awareness Week campaign and our everyday promise is all about."
NSF independently produces the Sleep in America poll, Sleep Awareness Week, and all related official educational content. The campaign reaches millions of people in the US and abroad and generates billions of media impressions each year. Campaign materials can found at the NSF website.
About the National Sleep Foundation
The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation dedicated to improving health and well-being through sleep education and advocacy. Founded in 1990, the NSF is committed to advancing excellence in sleep health theory, research and practice.
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SOURCE National Sleep Foundation
