Australia 2015: Australasian Sleep Association and Sleep Health Foundation

For World Sleep Day, 2015, the Australasian Sleep Association and Sleep Health Foundation developed sleep education lesson plans and activities for teachers to deliver in schools. These lesson plans and activities can be viewed at http://sleephealthfoundation.org.au/childrens/world-sleep-day. We had 51 schools register to deliver this material on World Sleep Day, with some choosing to theme the whole day by wearing their pyjamas to school (see picture). A number of schools have since downloaded the materials as an ongoing educational resource.

We also launched a short film competition inviting students to submit a film with the slogan “Sleep Well. Live Well”. The winning film will be used for future World Sleep Day activities and promotions in Australia and New Zealand. Entries close 30 June, 2015

Our World Sleep Day activities received media attention throughout Australia and New Zealand with 13 national radio and print interviews on the day. This has further led to a feature article in an online health and wellness magazine (Wellspring) and a request from the School Psychologist’s Association to present a keynote address at their annual congress.

Location: Australia and New Zealand
Date: Delivery of education materials and launch of the movie competition will be 13 March

Biggs 2 Blackburn Primary WSD Biggs 1


Dr. Sarah Biggs

Sarah completed her undergraduate psychology degree at University of South Australia in 2005 and immediately commenced a PhD in pediatric sleep at University of Adelaide. Her thesis, completed in 2010, examined the prevalence of sleep problems and the association of poor sleep with poor behavior in a large, representative cohort of Australian school-aged children. This work was awarded the University of Adelaide Post-Graduate Research Medal for outstanding research at a PhD level. Since undertaking her position at the Ritchie Centre, Sarah has spearheaded the group’s research examining the cognitive and behavioral implications of sleep problems in children. Her other main research interests include examination of the potential mechanistic pathways linking sleep disorders with cognitive and behavioral deficits, risk factors for poor sleep, and alternate treatment strategies for children with primary snoring. She is an active committee member of the Australasian Sleep Association and Sleep Health Foundation, and is organizer of the World Sleep Day activities across Australia and New Zealand. Sarah has published over 30 manuscripts in the area of sleep, cognition, learning and behavior in children and in 2012, was awarded an NHMRC Early Career Training Fellowship. Affiliation: Australasian Sleep Association and Sleep Health Foundation
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