It’s that time of year again. On March 11th, here in California, we will all “spring forward” by setting our clocks ahead by one hour, starting Daylight Saving. Some people love the time change because it means more daylight hours and is a sign summer is right around the corner. Others hate the time change because it means losing an hour of sleep.
Along with the start of Daylight Saving, March 11th is also the start of the National Sleep Foundation’s Sleep Awareness Week 2018 https://sleepfoundation.org/SAW. The week-long call for awareness concludes with World’s Sleep Day http://worldsleepday.org/ hosted by World Sleep Society. With so many events happening in March, are we as sleep professionals in California doing enough to create awareness? Below I’ve identified a few things everyone can do to promote healthy sleep in March.
Take the SLEEP IN Challenge!
On the weekend of March 9 – 11, 2018, join Project Sleep (founded by narcolepsy spokesperson and 2016 CSS speaker, Julie Flygare) for their fourth annual international “Sleep In” (#SleepIn2018) to raise awareness about sleep health and sleep disorders during Sleep Awareness Week.
Challenge yourself to stay in bed for 12 – 48 hours and ask your friends and family to sponsor your Sleep In to benefit Project Sleep.
Time is running out so click here to start sleeping http://project-sleep.com/sleepin/
Donate! Donate! Donate!
Last year was the year of natural disasters. Hurricanes, earthquakes and fires. Especially in California, so many were affected by the fires and mudslides. When you lose everything to a natural disaster, they truly mean everything. Clothes, furniture and family photos are gone. But what most don’t realize, even a CPAP machine is lost. Here are a few organizations who accept donations of CPAP machines, supplies and cash to help those in need.
American Sleep Apnea Association (ASAA) www.donatedcpap.org The ASAA is a patient-led nonprofit 501(c)(3) formed in 1990 to fight for people with sleep apnea. The ASAA’s CPAP Assistance Program (CAP) has provided over 5,000 CPAP equipment packages to patients in need over the last three years. It is our mission to help as many patients as possible get the treatment that they need. No one should go untreated due to financial hardship or other issues.
Breathe California of the Bay Area www.breathebayarea.org As the local clean air and healthy lungs leader, Breathe California of the Bay Area fights lung disease in all its forms and works with its communities to promote lung health. Thanks to your continued support, we are able to assist asthmatic children, provide low-cost equipment to Sleep Apnea patients, help smokers to quit and offer environmental education.
The Reggie White Foundation www.reggiewhitefoundation.org The Foundation was co-founded after Reggie White’s premature death by his wife Sara, in conjunction with the Sleep Wellness Institute in West Allis, Wisconsin. We recognize the role that sleep apnea played in cutting Reggie’s life short and want to help people of all economic backgrounds to understand the symptoms and risks of this disorder. Equally important, we want to provide CPAP therapy equipment to those who might otherwise be unable to secure the needed equipment. CPAP equipment is provided to patient’s who qualify for the foundation’s assistance and who have a current prescription for the equipment.
Post a #SleepStudySelfie!
As a sleep tech, after meticulously finishing the PSG hookup, I’ve found that most patients run to the mirror to check themselves out. Next thing you know, I’m taking their picture so they could remember that wild night they had, all in the name of better sleep. But that picture could actually serve a bigger purpose. By helping patients post that #SleepStudySelfie to social media, what we are saying is “I too have trouble sleeping.” So often patients tell me how lonely having a sleep disorder can feel. “It’s night, dark, and everyone else in the whole world is asleep but I’m not. What’s wrong with me?” It turns out that millions of others are struggling with the same thing. During Sleep Awareness Week, encourage people to talk to others about their sleep struggles. Maybe post a picture during their sleep study. Check in from the sleep center. Let others know they are not alone.