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Session Schedule

Find a specific presentation in the course by navigating to the timestamp indicated below.

0:00:00
Introduction

0:06:05
Understanding sleep in Hong Kong: Exploring the key facilitators, barriers, and cultural influences
Danny Yu (Hong Kong)

0:19:45
Conceptualization and understanding of sleep health in Australian First Nations communities
Fatima Yaqoot (Australia)

0:43:20
Elevated oxidative stress biomarkers in adults with segmented sleep patterns in Oman
Ibtisam Al Lawati (Oman)

1:00:05
Are humans facing a sleep epidemic or enlightenment?
David Samson (Canada)

1:17:45
Question and answer

Summary

Culture affects not only how we sleep, but also how we conceptualize sleep and conduct sleep research.

Western culture has dominated modern sleep science for the last century; therefore, the type of sleep that has been studied, and considered normal and natural sleep, has been the sleep found in WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic) societies. This sleep is a product of current western culture, which is characterized by (post-)industrial capitalism, where an emphasis is put on productivity to drive economic growth and increase living standards. In this culture, we typically work regular hours in a seven-day week, with a two-day weekend; we rarely sleep during the day and have a single, consolidated nocturnal sleep period.

How we talk about sleep also reveals that we think about it in terms consistent with our cultural framework – sleep is for 'recovery' after a hard day's work, and to enable us to be 'productive' the following day. Sleep science, therefore, has been influenced by perspectives and research questions particular to the prevailing cultural context. For example, how can we optimize our sleep to be as productive as possible during our time awake? How much nocturnal sleep do we need to ensure we can work through the day without napping?

In this symposium, we will explore sleep in different cultural contexts – the Middle East, East Asia and Indigenous communities in Africa and Australia – to reveal how cultural forces affect both sleep and our understanding of it. Danny Yu will present data illustrating long-term trends in sleep duration and sleep habits among difference demographic populations in Hong Kong. She will also discuss the potential barriers to obtaining sufficient sleep and explore strategies for promoting better sleep hygiene that are tailored to the cultural context of the region. Fatima Yaqoot will describe First Nations Australians’ conceptualization of sleep health, discuss the connection between sleep and cultural identity, and share learnings from the ‘Let’s Yarn About Sleep’ program on the application of cultural and traditional knowledge in sleep health programs for First Nations Australians.

Ibtisam Al Lawati will discuss the role environmental and cultural factors in producing different patterns of segmented sleep in Oman and how these are associated with oxidative stress biomarkers. David Samson will explore global variation in human sleep patterns, presenting data from population-level studies in both non-industrial and industrial societies to challenge the sleep restriction epidemic hypothesis and examine the circadian mismatch hypothesis. Results, showing that people in industrial societies exhibit longer, more efficient sleep, while those in non-industrial societies display greater circadian function, have implications for understanding the impact of labor demands, technological disruption, and chrono hygiene on sleep and circadian rhythms.

Through these talks, we attempt to identify culturally constrained aspects of sleep research and provide additional perspectives on sleep that can be used constructively to enhance sleep research and sleep medicine.

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion of this CME activity, participants will be able to:
• Describe the current sleep habits and secular trends in sleep duration among different demographic populations in Hong Kong; explain the cultural factors influencing sleep habits and perceptions of sleep; and discuss strategies for promoting better sleep hygiene within the cultural framework of Hong Kong
• Summarize the cultural and spiritual significance of sleep and sleep health in Australian First Nations communities; explore the application of socio-ecological frameworks in designing sleep health programs for First Nations peoples
• Identify the relationship between inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers, and the different segmented sleep patterns seen in Omani adults
• Define the differences in sleep and circadian function between small-scale indigenous societies and economically developed societies; analyze evidence supporting the circadian mismatch hypothesis and its implications for health and wellbeing in post-industrial societies