AASM launches congressional sleep caucus
By HME News Staff
Updated Thu December 3, 2020
DARIEN, Ill. - The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has created a Congressional Sleep Health Caucus to promote healthy sleep and the importance of high-quality, patient-centered care for patients.
The caucus is co-chaired by Reps. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., and Rodney Davis, R-Ill.
“As we deal with the unique challenges and added stress brought on by the COVID pandemic, the necessity of good, quality sleep is all too clear,” said Lofgren. “Insufficient sleep has been associated with various mental and physical health challenges, and it's clear that sleep hygiene is a matter of public health. I look forward to working with my colleague, Rep. Rodney Davis, to highlight and promote sleep research at a federal level through the Congressional Sleep Health Caucus.”
The caucus will help improve sleep health by highlighting the:
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Importance of healthy sleep for overall health, well-being, productivity, and public safety
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Prevalence of sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea, and effectiveness of treatments, such as positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy
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Availability of expertise from the sleep team at accredited sleep facilities
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Discoveries generated by sleep and circadian research
The caucus will host congressional briefings on topics such as the elimination of daylight saving time, student sleep health and school start times, and sleep health disparities.
“The establishment of the Congressional Sleep Health Caucus is an important milestone for the field of sleep medicine, and I am grateful to Rep. Lofgren and Rep. Davis for their leadership,” said AASM President Dr. Kannan Ramar. “The caucus will amplify our messages and strengthen our advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill.”
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