Congressional Briefing on Sleep Health Equity

National Sleep Foundation Hosts Congressional Briefing on Sleep Health Equity

Washington, D.C. (July 27, 2023): Today, the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) hosted the first Congressional briefing on sleep health equity. Members of Congress, staff, and interested stakeholders heard from an expert panel about the causes and consequences of sleep health disparities, steps needed to promote sleep health equity, and what Congress can do to accelerate this important work.

Sleep is necessary for life. Getting less than the NSF-recommended 7-9 hours of sleep per night, for most adults, and/or having poor sleep quality are associated with adverse health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, mental health conditions, and mortality. People from historically underserved communities in the U.S. are disproportionately affected by social determinants leading to increases in poor sleep health and sleep disorders. It is critical to understand the sources of racial/ethnic sleep health disparities and promote actionable solutions to achieve sleep health equity.

National Sleep Foundation’s (NSF) mission is to improve the health and well-being of the public through sleep education and advocacy. This Congressional briefing convened expert panelists from across the country for an essential conversation on social determinants of sleep health, focusing on potential solutions.

“The National Sleep Foundation believes that everyone should have the same opportunity to be their Best Slept Self®. Understanding the sources of racial/ethnic sleep health disparities and promoting actionable solutions to eliminate them and achieve sleep health equity is critical to the NSF’s mission,” said NSF Chair Temitayo Oyegbile-Chidi, MD, PhD, and featured speaker at the event.

NSF’s Congressional briefing complements other ongoing NSF activities to help support sleep health equity such as growing the body of published evidence through its journal Sleep Health, proactive diversity and inclusiveness in NSF program topics and participants, expanded design and analysis of NSF’s population health research, and other internal progress towards NSF’s position on sleep health equity.

Read the NSF’s Position Statement on Sleep Health Equity. For more information about sleep health, visit Sleep Health Topics. 

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. theNSF.org

Media Contact:
Stephanie Kohn
540-850-7827
skohn@thensf.org