Sleep health across the life cycle: an unmet and neglected public health priority

Abstract The presentation will set the stage on the central role of sleep health across the life cycle. Despite the large body of evidence on the importance of poor sleep behaviors as a modifiable risk factor for several adverse health outcomes, sleep health is still an unmet and neglected issue in public health policy, especially in the European context. Sleep problems are widespread and potentially affect everyone, from childhood to adult age. In addition, sleep health disparities represent a major source of health inequities across marginalized and high-risk population subgroups, such us people from low socio-economic status, women, refugees and immigrants, shift workers, people living with physical and mental illness. There is an urgent need to promote evidence-based health promotion and public health policy to enhance sleep health both in the general population and high-risk subgroups.