Nobel Conference Lecture - Sleep and Circadian Health: A National Research AgendaOctober 1 at 2–2:45 p.m.

Nobel Conference Third Lecture

Sleep and Circadian Health: A National Research Agenda

Marishka Brown
Director, National Center on Sleep Disorders Research at the National Institutes of Health

Sleep is a necessary requirement for overall health and well-being, and it is equally as important as nutrition and physical activity when it comes to preventing negative health outcomes. Decades of research have shown that poor sleep impacts not only your mental health, but your physical health as well. The National Center on Sleep Disorders Research (NCSDR) was established by Congress as part of the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993. Located within the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), the NCSDR supports research, technology innovation, training, health education, and other activities that promote sleep health and that advance scientific knowledge of sleep and circadian disorders. The NCSDR also coordinates sleep and circadian biology research throughout the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other Federal agencies; manages a Federal Advisory Committee, the Sleep Disorders Research Advisory Board; and oversees the development of a comprehensive research plan. The current NIH Sleep Research Plan highlights five strategic goals, which reflect the spectrum of sleep and circadian research, from basic biology, to clinical research and clinical trials, to fostering the development of the workforce. It also includes nine (9) critical opportunities, which represent timely and actionable directions with the potential to significantly impact the fields. The research activities presented in the NIH Sleep Research Plan will not only enhance sleep and circadian biology research, but potentially transform medicine and public health. In collaboration with federal partners and public stakeholders, NCSDR will continue to facilitate research that addresses the needs and opportunities in these fields with the goal of advancing sleep and circadian research that improves medicine, public health, and the safety of the American public.