Engineering charity teams up with online sleep clinic to fund expert sleep support
EMBARGOED UNTIL 13TH MARCH 2020 00:00HRS
Foothold, the Institution of Engineering and Technology Benevolent Fund, is launching a new partnership with the NHS-approved sleep clinic Sleepstation on 13 March, World Sleep Day. The collaboration will fund access to expert support for those struggling to sleep well.
Foothold’s CEO Jane Petit said: “With the launch of “The Wake Up Call” sleep manifesto in Parliament recently the impact sleep issues have on individuals, families and societies has never been clearer. Sleepstation helps people identify the underlying causes of their sleep problem and provides personalised support and guidance to improve sleep. This personalised support is what makes Sleepstation so effective, and that’s why we’ve chosen them as our partners.”
With 40% of people in the UK suffering from various sleep issues, it is clear that quality of sleep has an enormous impact on our functionality, mental health and general wellbeing. According to Sleepstation, less than six hours of sleep is likely to result in a 20% cognitive decline the next day. Poor sleep is also linked to physical problems such as a weakened immune system and mental health issues like anxiety and depression.
Using the latest science to switch off
The UK government has been urged to take sleep hygiene more seriously and educate the public on why good sleep habits are important. Organisations and businesses across the country are being encouraged to pledge their support to The Sleep Charter which aims to raise awareness of evidence-based sleep support tools and advice.
Sleepstation’s CEO Alison Gardener explains: “We know sleep, so we understand how important it is to sleep well. Sleep isn’t given enough credit for how much of an impact it can have on your physical and mental health. Just like breathing, thinking about sleep can cause a problem – you’re not supposed to plan it, you’re supposed to just do it.”
Sleepstation’s all-online support programme has a typical success rate of 80-90%. It takes basic sleep improvement principles and personalises them to each individual, their problems and lifestyle. The science-driven treatment combines expert analysis of the client’s sleep patterns with on-demand advice via secure online chat connection.
Evidence points to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) being the most effective treatment currently available for treatment of insomnia. This psychological approach has been shown to be more effective than sleeping pills and is recommended for even the most severe cases of sleeplessness. Ordinarily this would be an in-person treatment, requiring weekly visits to a clinic.
However, Sleepstation’s programme has been developed to achieve the same results using only online access to sleep specialists. The advice is supplemented by additional content, educating the client on the science and research behind their sleep issues and ways to resolve them.
World Sleep Day
World Sleep Day is an annual event, intended to be a celebration of sleep and a call to action on important issues related to sleep, including medicine, education and social aspects. It is organised by the World Sleep Society and aims to lessen the burden of sleep problems on society through better prevention and management of sleep disorders. World Sleep Day is held the Friday before Spring Vernal Equinox of each year.
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