Sleep health and our environment: a conversation with Chandra Jackson – National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (.gov)

Report on the Intersection of Sleep Health and Sustainable Development Goals

A Synthesis of Findings from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

This report synthesizes an interview with Dr. Chandra Jackson, an epidemiologist at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), on the critical role of sleep in human health. The findings are framed within the context of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), highlighting how sleep health is integral to achieving global targets for health, sustainability, and equity.

The Centrality of Sleep to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

Sleep is a fundamental pillar of health, directly supporting the achievement of SDG 3, which aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. Disrupted or inadequate sleep is a significant risk factor for numerous non-communicable diseases.

Physiological Restoration and Disease Prevention

• Cellular Repair: During sleep, the body undertakes critical restorative processes, including the repair of muscles, bones, and DNA.
• Cardiovascular Health: Sleep helps regulate blood pressure. Insufficient sleep is an established risk factor for hypertension and cardiovascular disease, aligning with SDG Target 3.4 to reduce premature mortality from non-communicable diseases.
• Cognitive Function and Neurological Health: The brain’s glymphatic system actively clears metabolic waste, such as beta-amyloid, during sleep. This process has significant implications for preventing neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s disease.
• Memory and Learning: Sleep is essential for consolidating memories and pruning synaptic connections, a process vital for learning and cognitive performance.

Hormonal Regulation and Mental Well-being

Sleep’s role extends to hormonal balance and mental health, key components of overall well-being as defined by SDG 3.

• Hormonal Balance: Sleep regulates key hormones, including growth hormone, reproductive hormones (e.g., estrogen), and appetite-regulating hormones (leptin and ghrelin). Sleep deprivation can disrupt this balance, contributing to metabolic disorders.
• Mental Health: Inadequate sleep is strongly linked to a higher risk of anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders, undermining efforts to promote mental health and well-being (SDG Target 3.4).
• Cancer Risk: Melatonin, a sleep-inducing hormone, also functions as an antioxidant. Disrupted melatonin production due to poor sleep hygiene may increase the risk of certain cancers.

Environmental Determinants of Sleep: A Link to SDG 11 and SDG 10

Environmental factors significantly influence sleep quality and duration. Addressing these factors is crucial for creating sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11) and reducing health inequalities (SDG 10).

Environmental Stressors and Health Inequities

Negative environmental exposures, often concentrated in disadvantaged communities, create significant disparities in sleep health, thereby exacerbating health inequities.

1. Light Pollution: Artificial light, particularly from LED sources and electronic screens, suppresses melatonin production and disrupts circadian rhythms. This is a key challenge in urban planning under SDG 11.
2. Noise Pollution: Noise from transportation and urban activity is a major sleep disruptor linked to adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Mitigating noise pollution is a core component of creating safe and sustainable human settlements.
3. Extreme Temperatures: Inadequate housing and climate change contribute to sleep environments that are too hot or cold, impairing sleep quality and disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations.

Promoting Sustainable Environments for Better Sleep

Positive environmental interventions can improve sleep health and advance sustainability goals.

• Access to Natural Light: Morning exposure to sunlight helps regulate the body’s biological clock, improving daytime alertness and nighttime sleep.
• Green Spaces: Access to parks and natural environments enhances relaxation and promotes better sleep, aligning with SDG Target 11.7 to provide universal access to safe, inclusive, and accessible green and public spaces.
• Chrononutrition and Lifestyle: The timing of meals and exercise impacts sleep. Public health education on these topics supports SDG 3 and SDG 4 (Quality Education) by empowering individuals with knowledge for healthier lives.

Implications for SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 8 (Decent Work)

The cognitive consequences of poor sleep directly impact goals related to education and economic productivity.

Sleep’s Impact on Cognitive Performance

• Education and Learning (SDG 4): Since sleep is vital for memory consolidation and learning, ensuring adequate sleep for children and adults is foundational to achieving quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities.
• Productivity and Safety (SDG 8): A well-rested state improves concentration, attention, and decision-making. Sleep deprivation impairs these functions, leading to reduced productivity and an increased risk of accidents in the workplace, undermining the goal of decent work and economic growth.

Future Research and Public Health Strategy

Future research should focus on developing integrated strategies that leverage sleep health to achieve broad public health and sustainability outcomes.

Priorities for Advancing Sleep Science

• Biomarker Identification: Discovering biomarkers for sleep health and circadian function can improve diagnosis and treatment.
• Mitigating Environmental Exposures: Investigating how improved sleep can mitigate the harmful effects of environmental toxicants like air pollution is a critical public health priority.
• Integrated Health Behaviors: Understanding the synergistic effects of sleep, nutrition, and physical activity will provide more effective and holistic health guidance for individuals and communities.

By optimizing environmental conditions and promoting sleep health, public health initiatives can make significant strides toward achieving multiple Sustainable Development Goals, fostering healthier, more equitable, and productive societies.

Analysis of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

  The entire article is centered on the critical role of sleep in human health. It explicitly links sleep quality and duration to a wide range of health outcomes, including cognitive function, mental health (mood disorders, anxiety), and the prevention of non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. Dr. Jackson states, “Good sleep health is essential for physical restoration, mental health, and overall well-being.”

• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

  The article connects environmental factors to sleep health and highlights the goal of achieving health equity. Dr. Jackson leads the “Social and Environmental Determinants of Health Equity Group,” and the article concludes by mentioning the potential of sleep research to “address health disparities” and improve outcomes “across entire populations.” This directly relates to reducing health inequalities that may arise from varying environmental exposures among different communities.

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

  The article discusses how the urban and community environment significantly impacts sleep. It identifies specific environmental factors such as “inopportune light exposure, noise, and extreme temperature” as detrimental to sleep. Conversely, it points to positive environmental features like “access to green spaces” and “communal spaces” that promote relaxation and better sleep, which are key components of creating sustainable and healthy living environments in cities.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 3.4: Reduce premature mortality from non-communicable diseases and promote mental health

   The article directly supports this target by detailing how poor sleep is a risk factor for numerous non-communicable diseases. Dr. Jackson notes the connection between disrupted sleep and “hypertension, poor cognitive performance, mood disorders, certain cancers, type 2 diabetes, and even Alzheimer’s disease.” The American Heart Association’s recognition of poor sleep as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease is also cited, reinforcing the link between sleep (a preventable risk factor) and NCDs.

2. Target 10.2: Empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all

   While the article doesn’t discuss social or political inclusion, its focus on “health equity” and addressing “health disparities” aligns with the principle of this target. The goal to ensure that “better outcomes for all communities” are achieved through understanding environmental influences on sleep implies a focus on ensuring that no group is left behind due to adverse living conditions that negatively impact their health.

3. Target 11.6: Reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities

   This target is addressed through the discussion of negative environmental factors prevalent in urban settings. The article identifies “noise…from airplanes, trains, or city sounds” and “artificial light like LEDs” as environmental pollutants that disrupt sleep and health. By highlighting these issues, the article implicitly calls for their reduction to improve public health in cities.

4. Target 11.7: Provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces

   The article explicitly mentions that “access to green spaces is another positive influence on sleep health.” It suggests that spending time in parks or other natural environments can “enhance relaxation and promote better sleep.” This directly connects the provision of green public spaces to tangible health and well-being benefits for the population.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicators for Target 3.4

  • Prevalence of non-communicable diseases: The article implies that tracking the rates of conditions like hypertension, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and mood disorders would be a measure of public health. Improving sleep health is presented as a way to reduce the risk of these diseases.
  • Sleep Duration: A specific, quantifiable indicator is mentioned: “For adults, sleep duration should be at least seven hours.” This provides a clear metric for assessing a key component of sleep health in a population.
  • Sleep Quality and Efficiency: The article mentions “sleep satisfaction” (a self-reported measure) and “sleep efficiency,” providing a specific metric: “spending at least 85% of your time in bed actually sleeping.” These can be used as indicators of sleep quality.

• Indicator for Target 10.2

  • Disaggregated health data: The article’s focus on “health disparities” implies the need for an indicator that measures health outcomes (such as sleep duration, quality, and related disease prevalence) across different demographic and socioeconomic groups to identify and address inequalities.

• Indicators for Target 11.6

  • Levels of noise pollution: The article’s identification of noise from traffic and urban sounds as a sleep disruptor implies that measuring ambient noise levels in residential areas would be a relevant indicator of urban environmental quality.
  • Levels of light pollution: By mentioning the disruptive effects of “inopportune light exposure” and “artificial light like LEDs,” the article suggests that measuring nighttime artificial light levels in communities is an important indicator for public health.

• Indicator for Target 11.7

  • Population’s access to green spaces: The article’s statement that “access to green spaces is another positive influence on sleep health” directly implies that the proportion of the population living within a certain distance of a public park or green space is a key indicator for measuring progress.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: niehs.nih.gov