The Sleep Health Foundation is proud to update you on a range of activities and initiatives that we’ve been focusing on in recent months. Sleep Week has just begun, so it’s an opportune time to reflect on our priorities. Key priorities include placing the voice of those with lived experiences with sleep problems at the forefront of our work, and, in partnership with the Australasian Sleep Association, connecting with political figures to raise awareness and advocate for greater recognition of the importance of sleep health.

The Consumer Reference Council, which we formed late last year, is already making a significant contribution to making our information resources more accessible, and creating a more user-friendly experience. We are also facilitating a lived experience panel discussion at the annual Sleep DownUnder conference called “Partnering with Patients: Capturing the patient voice and how best to improve outcomes.” Through this discussion we aim to ignite a conversation about the lived experiences should inform and drive the work of sleep health researchers, clinicians, educators and policy makers.

The Foundation’s new Sleep Seminar Series will also place a spotlight on the sleep as a universal health and lifestyle factor. Launching during Sleep Week on Tuesday September 27, this series will provide a public, free and virtual educational resource for anyone from the community to attend. Each seminar will focus on a different topic. The first of the series is hosted by Prof Greg Murray, a leading academic clinical psychologist and expert in sleep and mental health. He will lead a discussion on “The role sleep plays in physical and mental health.” The seminar includes the opportunity to ask our experts questions, and will be available as a permanent resource on our website.

In the political setting, plans are underway to visit Canberra and highlight the increasingly known impacts of sleep on shift workers. In joint efforts with the Australasian Sleep Association, we have already engaged in several discussions with politicians about a new policy proposal we have developed: “Better Sleep and Wellbeing for Healthcare Workers.” We are optimistic about the opportunity to revisit previous political submissions and emphasise the need for sleep to be considered an essential component of health and wellbeing.

Other exciting news includes our successful Sydney Partner Networking Event, where we engaged with our partners about our current activities and goals, and the rapidly growing demand for our Speaker Program. We now receive multiple enquiries each week across all of Australia from schools, workplaces, and consultancy companies to deliver evidence-based education sessions on the importance of sleep.

We encourage you to reach out with any thoughts you may like to share with us, or if you would like to contribute to advancing our mission of improving peoples’ lives through better sleep.

Happy Sleep Week!

Shantha Rajaratnam
Chair
Sleep Health Foundation

Sleep Week is here!

Happy Sleep Week!

The Sleep Health Foundation's inaugural Sleep Week begins today, Monday September 26, and continues to Sunday October 2. This event highlights the importance of sleep, and provides educational resources about the role sleep plays in our health. We also want to offer practical solutions to help people improve their sleep.

The leadup to Daylight Savings time is often the time for awareness weeks or days in the northern hemisphere so this year we are having our own awareness week, marrying the clocks changing with the chance to put the spotlight on sleep.

See below a rundown of the week's activities and themes:

• Monday Sept 26: Fatigue, burnout, and rest during the COVID era
• Tuesday Sept 27: Sleep Seminar Series launch with Prof Greg Murray, “The role of sleep in physical and mental health”
• Wednesday Sept 28: Wind-Down Wednesday
• Thursday Sept 29: Emerging Sleep Hero Award
• Friday Sept 30: Sleep and Mental Health including a webinar with Dr Mike Millard, Dr Melinda Jackson and Dr Elizabeth Mason, "The relationship between sleep and mental health"
• Saturday Oct 1: Senior Executive Sleep Challenge begins for the month of October
• Sunday Oct 2: Daylight Savings starts

Member Profile: Rita Harding

Each newsletter, we will be taking the chance to highlight one of our Sleep Health Foundation Members. This quarter is Board Member Rita Harding's turn!

Jean Hailes Women's Health Week

Jean Hailes Women's Health Week (September 13-17) is a nation-wide campaign of events and online activities – all centred on improving women's health and helping you to make healthier choices.Every September, for one week, Women’s Health Week is a reminder to set aside time for your health and wellbeing.

In support of Women's Health Week and Liptember, Sleep Health Foundation CEO, Dr Moira Junge, hosted events in Morwell and Warragul to discuss the link between sleep and mental health.

The Sleep Health Foundation is inspired by and grateful for the incredible work Jean Hailes and their team do for the not-for-profit health sector. We thank them for their support and partnership.

Winter Sleep Symposium

Last month, the Sleep Health Foundation hosted the Winter Sleep Symposium at the Sofitel Melbourne on Collins with the support of Teva. The event delivered an illuminating perspective on the role of sleep in different areas of healthcare, and a discussion about how we might be able to gain the attention of policy makers to make an impact regarding sleep on a larger scale.

Thank you to our speakers, A/Prof Bei Bei, A/Prof Mark Howard, Dr Eli Dabschek and Dr Michael Piperoglou for their insightful presentations, to Teva for making this event possible, and all of our attendees who share our vision of improving people's lives via better sleep.

Call for PJ Fun Run volunteers!

The Sleep Health Foundation is excited to be supporting this year's Pyjama Fun Run! Come dressed in your best and wackiest PJ's, along with your doggo or your Teddy Bear and walk Princes Park and raise much needed funds for research into the link between healthy sleep and mental health in adolescents and the elderly.

The event is currently seeking volunteers to assist on the day. If you're interested in becoming a volunteer, you can register here.

You can also participate and fundraise for the event here.

ASA's CBT-I Workshops

There’s still time to secure your place to learn from the world leaders in CBT-I, Michael Perlis and Donn Posner. Early bird rates apply until 7 October.

Two-day workshops will be held after Sleep DownUnder in Brisbane (12-13 November) and Melbourne (15-16 November). You’ll gain an understanding of CBT-I basics, refine your skills, and practice how you can apply your skills in your clinical work. 

These workshops will be invaluable to psychologists, sleep and respiratory physicians, general practitioners, primary care nurses, clinical nurse practitioners, occupational therapists, sleep scientists, and social workers.

Register for Melbourne

Register for Brisbane

Volunteer for research

Online Insomnia Treatment Study

Researchers at Flinders University are running a research study to test a new online 5-week insomnia treatment program. This study aims to test the effectiveness of this new online CBT-I program, compared to sleep education control, in improving sleep and daytime functioning in people with insomnia.

Register your interest here

Sleep and Emotional Memory in Late-Life Depression Study

Help researchers at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research understand how sleep and mood may effect older people's memory of emotional information. 

Register your interest here

Dementia Sleep and Wellbeing Study

Monash has developed a six-week sleep program targeting sleep and mood in people living with dementia and primary care partners. As part of the program, personalised and group-based sessions are delivered by a sleep coach/psychologist using Zoom. The project was developed by sleep and dementia clinicians and researchers with ongoing community input.

Register your interest here

Thank you to our Business Council Partners

Thank you to our Healthy Sleep Partners