Insomnia is an issue that the AASM Foundation takes very seriously. For Insomnia Awareness Night 2022, the AASM Foundation highlights the impact of insomnia in people’s lives, as well as what it has done and will continue to do to support insomnia research.
What is insomnia?
Insomnia is the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep through the night when there is the opportunity to do so. It is the most common sleep-related complaint and is most prevalent in older adults, women, and people experiencing high stress levels.
Overall, people with insomnia report a worse quality of life compared to people without insomnia. Chronic insomnia affects around 30 percent of the population and impairs both physical and cognitive function, leaving these individuals more vulnerable to accidents and other life inhibitors.
Why is it important to research insomnia?
There is still much to learn about insomnia. Research is needed in order to discover more about the causes and mechanisms of insomnia and its effects on different aspects of life. There are also several areas where additional research is needed to understand how to effectively treat insomnia, as outlined in the AASM’s guideline on pharmacological treatment of chronic insomnia disorder and the behavioral and psychological treatments for chronic insomnia disorder systematic review.
Healthy sleep is essential. In the fight to help everyone achieve healthy sleep, the AASM Foundation actively supports those determined to further the understanding of insomnia and its treatments.
AASM Foundation’s Role in Insomnia Research
Since 1998, the AASM Foundation has funded sleep-related research as part of its mission to achieve healthier lives through better sleep. So far, the AASM Foundation has awarded 274 grants, several of which have been focused on insomnia, including the creation of a new Focused Project Grant for Insomnia Biomarkers in 2021.
Some past examples of AASM Foundation funded insomnia projects include “Insomnia with Short Sleep Duration in Aging Populations” and “Behavioral Sleep Education for Children with Insomnia and Autism Spectrum Disorders: Partnering with Community Practices”, among others.
The AASM Foundation’s involvement in insomnia research does not end there. In fact, the AASM Foundation most recently selected its 2022 Career Development Grant recipients, funding ten different sleep research projects. Among them was a project dedicated to monitoring EEG dynamics of those both with and without insomnia. The information gathered from this project will be used to create new interventions that target insomnia.
The AASM Foundation remains dedicated to funding novel research and spreading awareness about sleep and sleep-associated disorders.
