Published: August 17, 2023

Patient Resources: Count on Sleep, Don’t Ignore Snore

The Count on Sleep campaign seeks to inform the public that untreated sleep apnea affects a person’s long-term health and quality of life.

The Academy is partnering on Count on Sleep, a multiorganizational collaboration to raise public awareness of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This project is designed to decrease the number of adults in the United States with undiagnosed or untreated OSA through public awareness, primary healthcare provider education, and public health resources.

Nearly 30 million American adults have OSA and approximately 80% are undiagnosed, costing the U.S. more than $149 billion annually in increased healthcare and mental healthcare costs, lost work productivity, and increased accidents. Untreated OSA can have a negative impact on overall health, contributing to the risk for hypertension, heart disease, stroke, pre-diabetes and diabetes, and depression.

This campaign seeks to inform the public that untreated sleep apnea is “more than a snore” and that it affects a person’s long-term health and quality of life. Sleep apnea should be discussed with a healthcare professional to determine if testing and treatment are necessary. The campaign offers resources for both the public and healthcare professionals. Patients can find a conversation guide to help them talk to their doctors about any sleep concerns and OSA symptoms they may be experiencing. And health professionals can find practice resources and care pathways.

Recognizing the importance of increased awareness of OSA, the following specialty and patient-focused organizations have also partnered on this program in addition to the AAO-HNS: American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Sleep Research Society, Alliance of Sleep Apnea Partners, American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, American College of Chest Physicians, American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, American Thoracic Society, and National Sleep Foundation.

This program supports the sleep health objectives of Healthy People 2030, which includes the objective to “Increase the proportion of adults with sleep apnea symptoms who get evaluated by a healthcare provider.”

Looking for Additional Resources for Your Patients

ENThealth.org, the AAO-HNSF patient information website, offers a roadmap for consumers seeking health-related information about otolaryngology-head and neck surgery conditions and diseases. For information and resources to share with your patients about sleep disorders and treatments, including the recently launched animated video, “Improve Your Sleep Quality,” go to the Academy’s patient information website, ENThealth.org, to find the following patient information and more:

_{This Count on Sleep campaign was supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $704,163 with 100% funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS, or the U.S. government.}

More from August 2023 – Vol. 42, No. 7