Since 2008, World Sleep Day has been marked as a day to celebrate the benefits of good and healthy sleep, and to draw society's attention to the burden of sleep problems and their medical, educational, and social aspects, and to promote the prevention and management of sleep disorders.
World Sleep Day is marked on March 15, 2024.
This year’s theme is “Sleep Equity for Global Health” and to celebrate, the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing is highlighting the research and work of three faculty members studying sleep.
Stephanie Griggs’ research program addresses a scientific priority to examine the social and
environmental determinants of sleep, circadian rhythms, and cardiovascular health among adults with and without type 1 diabetes. With multiple National Institutes of Health-funded projects under her belt, Griggs transitioned her postdoctoral fellowship at Yale to a tenure track assistant professorship at Case Western Reserve University. She was recently awarded a 5-year RO1 grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to test the efficacy of a cognitive behavioral sleep health intervention for young adults with type 1 diabetes. She is also co-investigator on two other NIH-funded grant projects related to sleep research.
Grant Pignatiello investigates how sleep health influences self-regulation and decision-making in surrogate decision-makers for critically ill patients. Supported by an American Nurses' Foundation pilot grant, his research reveals a significant link between poor sleep and higher levels of anxiety, depression, and decision fatigue in this crucial group. Preliminary data from wearable sensors indicate their sleep is often compromised, underscoring the need for targeted interventions."
Valerie Boebel Toly’s research focused on parents caring for children with complex, chronic conditions who require life-saving medical technology at home and how they must remain constantly vigilant. These parent-caregivers often report high levels of stress and neglect health-promoting behaviors such as sleep for themselves. Funded by the NIH/NINR, Toly’s project objectively measured sleep of parents receiving a cognitive-behavioral resourcesfulness intervention and compared it against a group of control parents. Findings include statistically significant differences at later post-intervention timepoints for sleep percentage, total sleep time, sleep latency, and sleep efficiency, indicating improved sleep for the intervention participants.