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The Sleep Agency What is
the Introduction The Center is situated within the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), in Bethesda, Maryland. Scope
of the Problem About 70 million Americans suffer from a sleep problem; among them, nearly 60 percent have a chronic disorder. Sleep problems affect men and women of every age, race, and socioeconomic class. Despite this widespread prevalence, most cases remain undiagnosed and untreated. Each year, sleep disorders, sleep deprivation, and sleepiness add an estimated $15.9 billion to the national health care bill. Additional costs to society for such consequences as lost worker productivity and accidents have never been calculated. Moreover, the contribution of sleep disorders to such serious problems as heart disease and stroke, which kill and debilitate thousands each year, has not been quantified. A Wide
Spectrum
Sleep disturbances associated with such diseases as neurological disorders, heart and lung diseases, mental illness, and addictions. The magnitude and prevalence of many sleep disorders are difficult to assess. The most studied sleep disorder is sleep apnea, a cessation of breathing during sleep that is a major cause of excessive daytime sleepiness. It is the second most common sleep disorder after insomnia and affects about 20 million Americans. Sleep apnea is associated with high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, heart attack, pulmonary hypertension, congestive heart failure, stroke, neuro-psychiatric problems, mental impairment, and injury from accidents. Each year, sleep apnea accounts for about $42 million in hospital bills. The costs for diagnosis and treatment of this one sleep disorder could reach $60 billion by the year 2000. Other startling statistics about sleep disorders include the following: About 25 percent of American children aged 1 to 5 have a sleep disturbance; an estimated 250,000 people suffer from narcolepsy; more than 50 percent of Americans aged 65 and older have a sleep problem; and disturbed sleep is among the reasons most frequently cited by caretakers for institutionalization of older Americans. Because the prevalence of sleep disorders appears to increase with advancing age, the graying of the US population suggests that we will encounter an increasing public health burden in the years to come it is estimated that nearly 80 million Americans will have a sleep problem by the year 2010 and 100 million will have one by the year 2050. Milestones In 1988, the Congress created a National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research to conduct a comprehensive study of the status of current knowledge and research on sleep disorders, including the resources (such as manpower, health care facilities, and social programs) available for addressing sleep problems. The Commission was also charged with developing a long-range plan to promote sleep disorders research. In January 1993, the Commission delivered its report to the Congress. Wake Up America: A National Sleep Alert identified sleep problems as a public health crisis and recommended a number of countermeasures, the most crucial being creation of a national center for sleep research to lead a Federal initiative against sleep disorders. The Commission stressed that a clear organizational focus was necessary not only to coordinate and manage such an initiative, but also to be accountable for its results and to ensure wide dissemination of research findings to health care professionals, patients, and the public. In June 1993, President William J. Clinton signed Public Law 103-43. Title IV of that law establishes the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research. Missions
and Goals The Center fulfills its goals by serving four key functions: Research, training, technology transfer, and coordination. Research These scientists and health professionals are conducting basic, epidemiological, clinical, and behavioral research, as well as studies on prevention and health services. Research is supported by the NIH and other Federal agencies. Examples include studies on:
Those efforts represent only a beginning in the struggle to understand sleep disorders. Many other areas of sleep research urgently need investigation. These include: the basic functions of sleep; the genetics of sleep; the epidemiology of sleep disorders among minorities, women, and the poor; natural history data on normal and disrupted sleep throughout life; the neurobiology of excessive daytime sleepiness and motor control; sleep deprivation; and the role of sleeping pills in treating insomnia. Training Training researchers in sleep disorders is rigorous and time-consuming -- the skills and knowledge needed span many fields. The Center seeks to support and promote formal training programs on the doctoral and postdoctoral levels. It also plans to expand existing career development paths and create new training programs for scientists in sleep disorders research. These opportunities would include the formation of individual and institutional training awards for young and advanced investigators, particularly established scientists wishing to move into this challenging area. Technology
Transfer
Since many sleep problems remain undiagnosed and untreated, the Center also seeks to improve Americans' lives by increasing public awareness of such issues as healthy sleep behaviors, the ramifications of sleep deprivation, the nature of sleep disorders, and the ways to obtain treatment for a sleep problem. Plans are to:
Coordination The Center is developing plans for sharing information among these groups and for encouraging their cooperation, especially in crosscutting areas. This process eliminates duplication of effort, allows the most efficient use of limited resources, and ensures that important research gaps are identified and effectively addressed. Further, the Center is seeking to improve communication among scientists, policy makers, and health care professionals to accelerate the speed of scientific discovery and the dissemination of findings to health professionals, patients, and the public. Center
Operations Additionally, the Center works with other Federal agencies to collect data, conduct studies, and disseminate public information about sleep disorders and their effects on society. Questions and Inquiries Can Be Directed To: National Center on Sleep
Disorders Research U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
AND HUMAN SERVICES
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As of October
1, 2002 at
11:27:08 AM EDT (-0500), the U.S. population was obstructive sleep apnea, that means there are potentially 14,409,072 apneics in the U.S.
As of October
1, 2002 at
11:27:08 AM EDT (-0500), the world
population was 312,680,829 apneics in the world.
If you have questions about any of the medical conditions mentioned on this website, especially if you suspect that you (or someone you know) has sleep apnea, please contact a qualified medical professional immediately. The information is intended to provide support, guidance, and encouragement to others contending with the many challenges of sleep disorders. The goals of Awake In Philly are to support, educate, and inform those who feel the impact of sleep disorders, as well as the general public. Medical advice should only come from qualified, licensed, and trained health-care professionals.
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