Sleep deprivation is something of a badge of courage for medical students, residents and providers who are expected to study and work around the clock. But pulling an all-nighter has health and wellness hazards, as a recent event at Des Moines University sought to educate students.
DMU was selected by The Huffington Post as a partner on the “Sleep Revolution College Tour” to raise awareness and spark a national conversation about the importance of sleep.
A Sleep Number bed went up in the Student Education Center and vendors promoting sleep and wellness provided freebies and information to the campus community. Students had fun with the event, posting to social media and earning swag bags filled with goodies.
Local sleep experts participated in two panel discussions moderated by DMU President Angela Walker Franklin, Ph.D., highlighting the role of sleep in society and the scientific imperative for getting a good night’s rest.
The Sleep Revolution tour stop was inspired by a book of the same name authored by Arianna Huffington, the co-founder and editor in chief of The Huffington Post.
Franklin, who has been open about her own struggles to fit sleep into a tightly packed executive schedule, urged the DMU community to consider sleep a third pillar of wellness, alongside diet and exercise.
“This is the beginning of a conversation that I think needs to permeate all of our lives,” Franklin says. “To be bold enough to say ‘Sleep is important and I must do this for myself.'”
