Educating Patients on Sleep: Raman Malhotra, MD

“We feel that, just like we promote other healthy aspects of nutrition and exercise, sleep should be part of that, and I think that will go a long way, as kids understand how important [sleep] is for their health.”

Educational structure and curriculum regarding sleep health are areas in need of improvement, according to Raman Malhotra, MD. The need to educate children on sleep health and integrate sleep into curriculum across all education levels, just as with nutrition and exercise, will further help children understand the importance of sleep as it pertains to overall health, explained Malhotra, an associate professor of neurology at Washington University in St. Louis.

In conversation with NeurologyLive, Malhotra outlined the need to start educating children at a young age in order to create healthy impressions and behaviors, which are more difficult to change later in life. He further emphasized resources available on the American Academy of Sleep Education’s (AASM) website, which provide learning tools and examples for incorporating sleep education across all levels, from elementary to college students.

Malhotra’s statement coincides with a recently published position statement from AASM, addressing and emphasizing the need to increase sleep awareness. Sleep is recognized as vital for both individual health and general public safety, necessitating the need for further circadian research and understanding into how sleep affects quality of life. 

To access the resources discussed in this video, click here.

REFERENCE

Ramar K, Malhotra RK, Carden KA, et al. Sleep is essential to health: an American Academy of Sleep Medicine position statement. J Clin Sleep Med. Published online June 21, 2021. doi: 10.5664/jcsm.9476