Strategic opportunities in sleep and circadian research: Report of the joint task force of the sleep research society and American academy of sleep medicine

Abstract

Sleep and circadian timing are fundamental biological imperatives in animals and humans, throughout the lifespan. These biological systems can be challenged by pathology, individual choices, and social/societal pressures, often resulting in sleep loss or circadian disruption (i.e., "sleep deficiency"), and ultimately adverse health and safety outcomes. Advances in the scientific knowledge generated during the last decade indicate the transformative potential of sleep and circadian health for improving the health of the American people, including the development of novel, personalized, preventative and therapeutic strategies for multiple chronic diseases. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and the Sleep Research Society (SRS) created a Task Force with a mandate to engage the sleep and circadian scientific community, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other key stakeholders to help catalyze the implementation of the most time-sensitive research priorities identified in the 2011 NIH Sleep Disorders Research Plan.