About the Singapore Sleep Awareness Week (SSAW)
The Singapore Sleep Awareness Week (SSAW) is a public health campaign organised by the Singapore Sleep Society as part of its public education programme.
The campaign is intended to be a celebration of sleep and a call to action on important issues related to sleep, including disorders, treatments, education and perception.
"Sleep disorders are common and often overlooked, with approximately 30% of the population worldwide suffering from different sleep problems." Said Dr Lim Li Ling, President of Singapore Sleep Society, "There is a general lack of understanding of sleep-related health issues in Singapore and we hope Singapore Sleep Awareness Week will provide a platform for Singaporeans to find out more on how to achieve good sleep for good health."
The theme for the inaugural SSAW was "Good Sleep for Good Health", the first campaign's focus was to increase the Singapore public's understanding of common sleep problems, the symptoms of sleep disorders, the recommended treatments and last but not least, to dispel myths.
The theme for the returning SSAW is "Sleep For All Ages". The campaign will focus on Sleep Deprivation and its relationship with Performance, and how one can learn to enhance daily performance, be it in study, work and leisure.
The Singapore Sleep Society hopes that through the SSAW campaigns, Singaporeans will able to achieve good sleep health, and improve their quality of life and performance in their daily lives.
About The Organiser : Singapore Sleep Society
Formed in year 2002, the Singapore Sleep Society (SSS) is an independent non-profit organization, dedicated to promoting awareness, understanding and research in the field of sleep medicine in Singapore.
The activities of the SSS are funded by donations from corporate sponsors, grants from foundations and individual voluntary contributions. Throughout the year, educational programmes are offered to medical professionals and members of the public. These activities have included seminars on common sleep problems like obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome, public health forums on insomnia, radio talk shows and regular lectures in sleep medicine given by invited experts.
The SSS aim to raise the awareness of the importance of sleep to health through educational activities, and the Singapore Sleep Awareness Week 2010 is part of that effort to bring awareness to a higher level.
Through the SSS, Singaporeans can learn to recognize sleep problems and seek medical attention when needed from the many Sleep Disorders Clinics in public and private hospitals. Medical professionals can learn to diagnose and manage common sleep disorders effectively. SSS members are actively involved in research activities with the goal of enhancing our understanding of the epidemiology, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders.
Currently SSS has over 70 individual members, comprising physicians, PSG technologists, respiratory therapists and research scientists. The administrative office is located at the Sleep Disorders Unit, Singapore General Hospital.
About World Sleep Day
World Sleep Day is an international annual event, intended to be a celebration of sleep and a call to action on important issues related to sleep, including medicine, education, social aspects and driving. It aims to lessen the burden of sleep problems on society through better prevention and management of sleep disorders.
The first World Sleep Day was launched on March 14th 2008.