March 4, 2020

UArizona Experts Available for Sleep Awareness Week and World Sleep Day

TUCSON, Ariz. — In the United States, about a third of adults sleep fewer hours than recommended, and sleep quality is a major issue. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nights with little or poor sleep can be detrimental to health. In children, sleep is paramount for healthy mental and physical development, according to the National Sleep Foundation.

March 8-14 is Sleep Awareness Week, and March 13 is World Sleep Day. Hosted by the World Sleep Society, and always held the Friday before the Spring Equinox, the day's intent is to celebrate and draw attention to important issues related to sleep.

Four University of Arizona sleep researchers are available for interviews throughout Sleep Awareness Week.

Physiology professor Fiona Bailey is a member of the University of Arizona Women's Sleep Research Collaborative. Her research focuses on a novel, five-minute, high intensity breathing training program that strengthens respiratory muscles, lowers blood pressure and improves sleep in adults with obstructive sleep apnea.

According to research by clinical associate professor of nursing Graciela Silva and her team, 13% of American men and 6% of American women are estimated to have moderate to severe sleep apnea. Silva has evaluated several different tools to identify those that would better screen for obstructive sleep apnea, especially in rural communities where there is limited access to care.

Associate professor of public health Patricia Haynes studies how different kinds of stress are related to sleep disorders and mental health.

Psychology professor Rebecca Gomez runs the Child Cognition Lab at the University of Arizona, where she studies the importance of sleep for learning, memory and development in infants and young children.

Researcher contacts:
Fiona Bailey
Department of Physiology
520-203-6172*
ebailey@email.arizona.edu
*email only until Mar. 10

Graciela E. Silva
College of Nursing
520-626-2206
silva@arizona.edu

Patricia Haynes
Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health
520-626-1855
thaynes@email.arizona.edu

Rebecca Gomez
Department of Psychology
520-878-9167
rgomez@email.arizona.edu

Media contact:
Mikayla Mace
University Communications
520-621-1878
mikaylamace@arizona.edu

The University of Arizona, a land-grant university with two independently accredited medical schools, is one of the nation's top public universities, according to U.S. News & World Report. Established in 1885, the university is widely recognized as a student-centric university and has been designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education. The university ranked in the top 20 in 2018 in research expenditures among all public universities, according to the National Science Foundation, and is a leading Research 1 institution with $687 million in annual research expenditures. The university advances the frontiers of interdisciplinary scholarship and entrepreneurial partnerships as a member of the Association of American Universities, the 65 leading public and private research universities in the U.S. It benefits the state with an estimated economic impact of $4.1 billion annually.