2022 has been a huge year for us and it has certainly flown on by. It’s been an honour and a privilege to have almost been one year in this role as the inaugural CEO.

The focus of the first year of strategic direction for the Sleep Health Foundation in this new phase of having a fulltime CEO was to increase our visibility in order to increase our reach and our messaging. This objective has been met and we’ll continue to build on this. We have also been very focused on the financial sustainability and longevity of the Foundation so we can grow and continue to scale up. I am pleased to report that this objective is also on track, and we’ll continue to build on this in the coming years.

We will continue with our mission of educating the Australian community about the importance of sleep and will continue to advocate for a government response to the 11 recommendations that came from the 2019 Parliamentary Enquiry into Sleep Health Awareness.

We would like to thank our partners, our Consumer Reference Council, all of our hard-working and talented committee members as we wouldn’t be able to do our work without your support. Wishing you all a very joyous, peaceful and safe festive period and best wishes for your health and prosperity in 2023.

Rest up, sleep well.

Yours sincerely,
Moira.

Dr Moira Junge
CEO, Sleep Health Foundation

This year, the Sleep Health Foundation is placing a special focus on sleep over the coming summer holiday months.

With a higher volume of people celebrating the season, facing long-haul road trips, and enduring the unpredictable Australian heat, we're sharing tips to help you stay safe and sleep soundly.

Visit our fact sheets on Drowsy Driving, Alcohol and Sleep, and Sleeping on Hot Nights to equip yourself with the knowledge to stay say on the roads, keep cool, enjoy the holidays and rest.

In September of 2022, during Sleep Week, the Sleep Health Foundation launched a new online, public and free webinar initiative called the Sleep Seminar Series. The series' mission is to provide information and public awareness about sleep, its disorders, and health and wellbeing impacts.

Webinars take place on the last Tuesday of each month at 6pm AEDT, however we will be taking a short break over the Christmas and New Year period, returning to the series in late February of 2023.

Register for 2023's webinars:

Tuesday February 28 at 6pm AEDT:  "ADHD in Children and Sleep" with A/Prof Emma Scibberas

Register to attend

Tuesday March 28 at 6pm AEDT: "Health Literacy: Crucial in Community Education" with Dr Claire Ellender

Register to attend

Access recordings of our previous webinars:

"The Future of Sleep" with prof Peter Cistulli

Watch the webinar

"Spotlight on Sleep Disorders: Perspectives from those with Lived-Experience" with Suzanne Curyer, Carol-Anne Howlett and Charlotte Vincent

Watch the webinar

"The Role of Sleep in Physical and Mental Health" with Prof Greg Murray

Watch the webinar

Member Profile: Jennifer Low

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

Take Control of Your Health

In late November, the Sleep Health Foundation was honoured to be part of LaTrobe Health and Jean Hailes for Women's Health's special event in Gippsland, "Take Control of Your Health." 

Following an inspiring story from Dr Jana Pittman, our CEO, Dr Moira Junge, presented on an expert panel alongside Gynecologist/Obstetrician, Dr Sami Choudhuri, and regional manager for Health Promotion and Prevention at Gippsland Women's Health, Melanie Brown. The aim of the day was to help empower women and provide them with the tools and knowledge they need to take control of their health.

Currently, every working day, three Gippsland women travel outside of the region to attend a Jean Hailes Clinic – over five years this equates to 15,000 hours of travel time for Gippsland women. The event celebrated the opening of a Jean Hailes clinic located at Maryvale Hospital, where local regional women now have access to resources and services to help them "take control of their health."

Collaborations and Advocacy

In November, we joined forces with the ASA to put in a joint submission into the “National Parliamentary Inquiry into Long COVID and Repeated COVID Infections”.

We are keen to contribute to knowing more about long COVID and being able to provide the community with more resources and support regarding this debilitating condition. It is not known exactly why both acute and long COVID affect sleep, but it is clear that patients do suffer significant sleep issues – including unrefreshing sleep – in both these circumstances. We will keep you informed about the outcomes and recommendations from this inquiry.

The Sleep Health Foundation are also a partner in an exciting research proposal that has been funded by the NHMRC Partnerships Projects funding scheme:

The project is titled Sleep for Strong Souls (3S): Multisectoral partnership and co-designed solutions to improve the sleep health of First Nations Adolescents. It will be led by Dr Yaqoot Fatima from the University of Qeensland and we’re proud to be a part of this important work.

We are also partnering with Dr Alexandra Metse and her team at the University of Sunshine Coast on a project entitled: Integrating Evidence-Based Behaviour Change Techniques Targeting Poor Diet and Physical Inactivity into Standard Care for People with Sleep Disorders or Sleep Problems.

The Sleep Health Foundation is proud to have participated in this year's Sleep DownUnder conference in Brisbane in November. The Foundation held a stall in the exhibition area where we were able to connect with like-minded ambitious sleep professionals and meet face-to-face for the first time in three years.

The Foundation also hosted three important programs:

• The Great Debate: "Sleep and technology make for good bed partners"
• Panel Discussion: "Partnering with patients: Capturing the patient voice and how best to improve outcomes"
• The Sleep Health Foundation's Annual General Meeting

Volunteer for research

Does your autistic child have sleep problems?

Professor Nicole Rinehart and a team of researchers at Monash University are currently conducting a pilot trial aimed at helping children with autism get better sleep. The study is open to primary school aged children (5-12 years), with a diagnosis of autism without an intellectual disability, with moderate-severe behavioural sleep difficulties.

Register your interest here

BetterBrains Research Study

Researchers at Monash University are looking at how an online, personalised, lifestyle intervention program may help protect memory and thinking abilities from declining over a 24-month period. The online intervention is called BetterBrains and it is designed to help individuals make sustainable lifestyle changes to improve their brain health. In particular, they are interested in recruiting middle-aged men and women (between 40 - 70 years old) who live in all parts of Australia.

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