Establishing Sleep Initiatives and “Healthy People 2030”: Raman Malhotra, MD

“We all recognize some of the major health issues that our country is facing, whether it is obesity, heart health, stroke, dementia, and it’s very important to see how sleep plays a role in those…it is a major landmark that the federal government [and] multiple medical societies, who also supported this statement, recognized that sleep is part of that solution.”

Raman Malhotra, MD, associate professor of neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, discussed the inclusion of sleep initiatives in Healthy People 2030, a national, data-driven initiative incorporating multiple aspects of health to achieve goals and improve overall well-being. According to Malhotra, the program including and recognizing sleep as a component of overall health is a major landmark for sleep research.

Not getting enough sleep persists within the US, and as other health issues such as heart health, dementia, and obesity are recognized, it is necessary to understand how sleep plays a part in respective solutions. Incorporating recommendations and benchmarks for sleep, particularly the duration, timing, regularity, quality, and absence of sleep disorders, can help to ensure that individuals are getting enough sleep each night, according to a recent position statement from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. 

In conversation with NeurologyLive, Malhotra spoke on the importance of increasing public awareness of sleep health, as well as how meeting different sleep metrics can help the population become healthier in general. Tracking and meeting sleep goals, Malhotra said, continues to facilitate progress when it comes to improving sleep in the US population.

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