Overview
Sleep & Cardiovascular Health forms part of Canada’s Sleep Calendar, a coordinated program of national public education presented by The Sleep Society to improve sleep health awareness across Canada.
Healthy sleep plays an important role in cardiovascular health. Insufficient sleep, poor sleep quality and untreated sleep disorders are associated with increased cardiovascular risk, including high blood pressure, coronary heart disease and stroke. Sleep also interacts with important cardiovascular risk factors including diabetes, obesity and metabolic health. By encouraging Canadians to recognize healthy sleep as an important component of heart health, this initiative aims to strengthen prevention, increase awareness of sleep disorders and promote better lifelong health.
Why it matters
Cardiovascular disease remains one of Canada’s leading causes of illness and death. Sleep is increasingly recognized as an important component of cardiovascular health, alongside established factors such as physical activity, nutrition, smoking, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose.
Both inadequate sleep and sleep disorders can affect cardiovascular health. Obstructive sleep apnea, for example, is associated with hypertension, cardiovascular disease and stroke, yet many people remain undiagnosed. Greater recognition of the relationship between sleep and cardiovascular health provides an important opportunity to encourage prevention, support appropriate treatment and improve long-term health outcomes.
Background
Sleep & Cardiovascular Health is observed throughout February as part of Canada’s Sleep Calendar. The initiative promotes greater public understanding of the relationship between healthy sleep and cardiovascular health, encouraging sleep to be recognized as an important component of lifelong heart health, disease prevention and overall wellbeing.
For many years, public discussion about cardiovascular prevention concentrated primarily on exercise, diet, smoking, cholesterol and blood pressure. These remain critically important, but advances in sleep and cardiovascular medicine have strengthened our understanding that sleep also deserves a place in the conversation. Sleep duration, sleep quality, circadian health and disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea can all influence cardiovascular health. Recognizing sleep alongside established cardiovascular risk factors provides another opportunity to protect health throughout life.
Current activities
The Sleep Society and SleepSafeCanada are currently working to:
- Promote public awareness of the relationship between healthy sleep and cardiovascular health.
- Increase awareness of sleep disorders and their potential importance to cardiovascular health.
- Develop educational resources for the public, healthcare professionals, workplaces and community organizations.
- Support annual awareness activities throughout February as part of Canada’s Sleep Calendar.
- Encourage collaboration with healthcare organizations, hospitals, educational institutions, governments and professional organizations.
- Build partnerships and national support to expand the initiative across Canada.
Resources
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Want to get involved?
Help raise awareness of the initiative by sharing information, encouraging healthy sleep and supporting greater public understanding of the important relationship between sleep and cardiovascular health.
February initiative
Part of Canada’s Sleep Calendar, a year-round program of public education and awareness.
Who’s involved
Endorsers, partners, supporters and sponsors
Organizations and individuals helping Sleep & Cardiovascular Health reach Canadians. Use the filters to view each type of involvement.
Endorsers
We welcome the endorsement of governments, healthcare organizations, universities, professional associations and community organizations that support the aims of this initiative and greater recognition of healthy sleep as an important component of cardiovascular health.
Partners
We collaborate with organizations that actively support the development, delivery and promotion of this initiative through education, research, collaboration and public engagement.
Supporters
We gratefully acknowledge organizations, businesses and individuals who support the aims of this initiative and help raise awareness within their communities and networks.
Sponsors
We gratefully recognize organizations whose financial or in-kind support helps make this initiative possible and extends its reach across Canada.
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Trusted information
A Better Sleep
For additional public information, articles and downloadable resources relating to this initiative, please visit abettersleep.net. The site provides trusted, evidence-based information to help people better understand healthy sleep, sleep disorders and the lifelong importance of healthy sleep.
Strategic Technology Partner
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The Sleep Society has selected Web Hosting Canada as its Strategic Technology Partner, supporting the continued development, delivery and national growth of this initiative while helping build the digital infrastructure needed to support future collaboration across Canada.
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