Sleep Awareness Week 2017

What is National Sleep Awareness Week?

Sunday April 23 through Saturday April 29, 2017, is National Sleep Awareness Week.

National Sleep Foundation (NSF) designed the annual National Sleep Awareness Week to incite, inform and engage the public, as well as advance NSF’s mission to improve health and well-being through sleep education and advocacy. This year’s theme is “Sleep Better. Feel Better”. It’s designed to encourage people to consider how sleep effects their daily lives, and reinforce the many benefits associated with making healthy sleep habits a priority.

Annual Sleep Heath Index

During National Sleep Awareness Week, NSF will release the Sleep Health Index first quarterly results of 2017 which reveal how satisfied Americans are with their sleep. NSF’s Sleep Health Index (SHI) is a , nationally representative poll of American adults, used to obtain the nation’s “sleep pulse”. SHI tracks trends and chronicles our nation’s sleep health over time. Here’s a summary of previous year’s results:

2014 Highlights:

35% of Americans describe their sleep quality as “poor” or “only fair”
African Americans were more likely to report poor or fair sleep quality than non-Hispanic whites
17% of respondents have been told by a physician that they have a sleep disorder
11.6% of the sample reported a diagnoses of sleep apnea
40% of respondents indicated snoring a few nights per week or more

Why is Sleep Awareness Week Important?

Sleep is essential to a healthy, productive life. According to the most recent findings from NSF’s SHI, more than four in ten American reported that their daily activities are significantly impacted by poor or insufficient sleep at least once during the past seven days. This needs to be brought to light, and people who are suffering with sleep health issues should be able to find resources that will help them with their struggles. Sleep Awareness Week / Sleep Better. Feel Better aims to provide the public with the necessary information they need to prioritize their sleep. Furthermore, research has shown that adequate, quality sleep directly and positively affects mental, physical and emotional well-being.