Public health perspectives on sleep research from the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research

In recognition that sleep disorders are a major public health concern, the United States Congress established the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research (NCSDR) in 1993 to enhance sleep-disorders awareness, facilitate coordination of sleep research and training, and develop and support integrative multidisciplinary research programs, and information dissemination activities. Between 1996 and 2005, the number of NIH research grants awarded annually to sleep and circadian investigators increased 2.7 fold. During this period, NIH funding support for successful sleep related grant applications across multiple NIH Institutes and Centers increased from approximately $76 million in 1996 to roughly $200 million in 2005. While this growth has resulted in significant advances in scientific knowledge and improvements in treatment, much still needs to be done to further advance the scientific understanding of sleep and sleep disorders. In addition, ongoing efforts in dissemination and translation of important sleep research findings to the broader scientific, medical and public health communities continue to raise challenges as well as opportunities. Health promotion and public health policy efforts to encourage improved sleep must be based on an understanding of the health consequences of various sleep disturbances and evaluated to determine the impact of these efforts on improving sleep and reducing health risks.