Project Sleep

Sleep Advocacy Program - The Sleep Advocacy Program aims to educate policymakers about sleep, ensuring sleeps place in the federal advocacy process and increasing the effective coordination of sleep-related advocacy to improve outcomes for patients. This initiative involves a year-round national advocacy program, a grassroots advocacy program, and a centerpiece Sleep Advocacy Forum. IN 2024, the Sleep Advocacy Forum brought together a diverse group of policy makers and sleep community leaders to share updates and discuss areas of common interest. The 2024 meeting theme was public health and sleep.

Narcolepsy Awareness Program - The Narcolepsy Awareness Program increases awareness to key audiences who are currently lacking knowledge and understanding of narcolepsy using speaking engagements and news media campaigns. The program also reduces stigma and fosters knowledge by providing key educational tools and resources to people living with narcolepsy and their loved ones. In 2024, we also celebrated World Narcolepsy Day with online events and story sharing sessions to elevate diverse stories and perspectives from around the world.

Sleep Apnea Education & Awareness Program - The program aims to:1. Improve the lives of people living with sleep apnea and their loved ones by increasing accurate information and education available, developed by an independent, well-established non-profit organization with a track record for excellence in collaboration with leading sleep apnea experts including patient advocates, clinicians, and researchers2. Reduce delays to proper diagnosis of sleep apnea by accelerating innovative and effective awareness, leveraging Project Sleeps current programming while also building new high-impact initiatives 3. Reduce the stigma and stereotypes of sleep apnea by elevating diverse, under-represented voices, photos, and videos of real people living with sleep apnea from Project Sleeps growing sleep apnea community In July 2024, the Sleep Apnea Education and Awareness Program launched the Sleep Apnea Squad, an educational program covering various topics to help people living with sleep apnea navigate both the medical journey and the social experience. Given that people have different learning styles, the Sleep Apnea Squad develops well-vetted accurate content to be disseminated in various formats including live broadcasts, video recordings, toolkit PDFs, podcast episodes, social media, and via Project Sleeps Sleep Helpline.

Rising Voices Program - To improve public understanding of sleep disorders, Project Sleep's Rising Voices program trains people with sleep disorders to effectively raise awareness through public speaking. Graduates are equipped to share their stories with health care providers, universities, local communities, news outlets, podcasts, blogs and beyond. Rising Voices combines the power of authentic storytelling with expert communication strategies to raise awareness and reduce stigma for all those living with a sleep disorder. As of 2024, there are over 160 trained Rising Voices speakers in 20 countries around the world.

Hollywood & Sleep Initiative - In September 2024, Project Sleep launched the Hollywood & Sleep Initiative, a partnership with Hollywood, Health & Society (HH&S), a program of USCs Norman Lear Center, working with TV writers and producers to revolutionize portrayals of sleep health and sleep disorders in television. This groundbreaking collaboration seeks to ensure that sleep-related storylines on television are accurate, engaging, and reflective of real-life experiences. With the majority of the 50 to 70 million Americans affected by chronic sleep conditions currently undiagnosed, authentic and impactful media representation is more than just importantits essential.

Jack & Julie Narcolepsy Scholarship Program - Project Sleeps Jack & Julie Narcolepsy Scholarship is the first-ever national scholarship program supporting students with narcolepsy while also raising narcolepsy awareness in high school and college settings. In 2024, Project Sleep awarded 36 scholarshipseach worth $1,000to college-bound students diagnosed with narcolepsy or idiopathic hypersomnia. Recipients included 31 students with narcolepsy and 5 with idiopathic hypersomnia, marking a record-sized class. The program has now awarded 228 scholarships to 228 students, totaling $228,000 over 11 years