NATIONAL SLEEP AWARENESS WEEK®
MARCH 5 – 11, 2007

The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) is the organizer and sponsor of National Sleep Awareness Week ® (NSAW), an annual public education, information and awareness campaign.  Now in its tenth year, this nationwide effort is the cornerstone for multiple initiatives designed to make sleep consciousness a part of every person’s lifestyle.  This year’s theme is “Sleep: As Important as Diet and Exercise (Only Easier!).”

Each year, the timing of the campaign coincides with the return to Daylight Saving Time, when clocks “spring forward” at 2:00 a.m. on the second Sunday in March – a time when most Americans choose to lose an hour of sleep!  The 2007 campaign runs from March 5th – 11th, 2007.

A highlight of the weeklong campaign is NSF’s Sleep in America poll, which will be released this year on Tuesday, March 6th.  The 2007 poll focuses on the unique issues concerning sleep and women.

NSF’s Community Sleep Awareness Partners ® (CSAPs) are sleep centers that join the Foundation’s efforts to promote healthy sleep in their local communities.  More than 900 CSAPs work in partnership with NSF throughout the year.

In addition, nearly 100 federal and state agencies, nonprofit organizations and associations work in support of NSAW as Sleep Awareness Co-sponsors, tapping their own membership and communications networks to help spread the word about the importance of sleep to health, safety and well-being.  This year’s co-sponsors include:

Joining NSF as the 2007 Campaign Partner is Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  Campaign Co-Partners include the American Academy of Sleep Medicine; American College of Chest Physicians; American Sleep Apnea Association; and the International Life Sciences Institute.

Among NSF’s varied events and activities for this year’s NSAW are:

• NSF’s Press Conference will release the findings of the 2007 NSF Sleep in America poll. The press conference will be held at 10:00 a.m. on March 6th at the JW Marriott in Washington, D.C.  Speakers will include Richard Gelula, NSF’s chief executive officer; Meir H. Kryger, MD, director of research and education at Gaylord Sleep Center; and Kathryn Lee, PhD, professor of family health care nursing and the James and Marjorie Livingston chair in the School of Nursing at the University of California, San Francisco.
  
• Scientific Workshop on Women & Sleep, a state-of-the-science workshop, will be presented by NSF and the Atlanta School of Sleep Medicine.  Top researchers in the fields of sleep, circadian rhythms, women’s health and women’s studies will gather March 5th and 6th in Washington, D.C., to examine how sleep affects women in all aspects of their lives.
  
• NSF’s 7th Annual “Night of a Thousand Dreams” Gala celebrates achievements in the field of sleep and provides an opportunity for NSF to raise funds for its education, research and advocacy programs.  Among the highlights is the presentation of the Foundation’s annual leadership awards.  Mistress of ceremonies is actor Rita Taggart, who has been in films such as “Mulholland Drive” and “1941.”  The Gala will be held Tuesday evening, March 6, 2007 in Washington, D.C at the JW Marriott Hotel.
  
• On March 7, NSF will announce the official launch of the National Sleep Awareness Roundtable (NSART).  A program initiated by NSF, NSART is a national partnership of governmental, professional, voluntary and other organizations.  NSART aims to raise awareness, understanding and reduce the public health and safety impact of sleep deprivation and sleep disorders by improving the communication and collaboration among local, state, and federal agencies, professional organizations and the public.

National Sleep Awareness Week ® is a registered trademark of the Foundation.  NSF will provide regular updates and information about NSAW activities on its website at www.sleepfoundation.org.

NSF Background

The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to improving public health and safety by achieving greater understanding of sleep and sleep disorders.  NSF furthers its mission through sleep-related education, research and advocacy initiatives.  NSF’s membership includes researchers and clinicians focused on sleep medicine as well as other professionals in the health/medical/science fields, individuals, and more than 900 sleep clinics throughout North America that join the Foundation’s Community Sleep Awareness Partners program. NSF can be found online at www.sleepfoundation.org.  

NSF’s financial support comes from a variety of diverse sources, including memberships, sales of educational materials, advertising, investment income, individual donations, subscriptions, and educational grants from foundations, federal agencies, and corporations including pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical companies. Corporate grants are accepted on an unrestricted basis only.  NSF alone determines the ideas and content published or promoted in its educational programs.

This year’s NSAW contributors include: Boehringer-Ingelheim; the Federal Rail Association; GlaxoSmithKline; Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Merck & Company, Inc./Lundbeck, USA; Organon International Inc.; Sepracor, Inc.; Somaxon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America; TempurPedic; ViaSys Healthcare; Wamsutta; and Xenoport, Inc.

NSF does not solicit nor accept funding for its annual Sleep in America polls; NSF polls are developed independently by Foundation staff working with a task force of sleep scientists who provide guidance and expertise in developing the poll questionnaire and analysis of the data.

###