Sleep health in Indigenous Australians: a review on the state of Indigenous sleep health in Australia
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DescriptionThis review was undertaken to understand the state of sleep health for all Indigenous Australians. The necessity of undertaking this task lies in the significant and consequential impact of poor sleep on health and wellbeing. Importantly, it is noted that treating sleep disorders can reverse health outcomes both in the short and long term. Therefore, given the significant historical and ongoing inequities experienced by Indigenous Australians across a range of health outcomes, understanding the state of their sleep health offers opportunities to improve their overall health. Indeed, not only an enormous opportunity but potentially an imperative. Prevalence rates of respiratory sleep disorders for example, are significantly higher in Indigenous populations (apnoea up to 49% and up to 85% in sleep laboratory samples) compared to Australian populations norms (11.9% and 20.2%). We conclude that Indigenous Australians were more likely to report a higher prevalence of unhealthy sleep compared to non-Indigenous Australians. Working and conferring with Indigenous communities is likely to improve future capacity for Indigenous and sleep medicine communities to engage in partnerships to improve sleep health and subsequently general health. Considering the biopsychosocial model and determinants of sleep health offers a broader perspective with which to address sleep health in these populations. Co- designed research and development projects are necessary to establish a national approach to assess sleep disorders amongst Indigenous Australians to improve sleep health and secondary outcomes and related services for Indigenous populations.
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Regions in scopeAustralia
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Funding entityAustralasian Sleep Association
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Research/evaluation entityThe Indigenous Sleep Health Working Party
Australasian Sleep Association -
StatusCompleted
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End date2020
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Released to publicYes
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CategoriesSocial and emotional wellbeing