Sleep deprivation & disparities in health, economic and social wellbeing: Lauren Hale at TEDxSBU

Is anyone getting enough sleep? What difference does it make? Everyone knows what it feels like when you have a rough night but are there larger implications? Sleep researcher, Dr. Lauren Hale, talks animatedly about the social patterning of sleep and how it contributes to a cycle of inequality in health and well-being. With funding from National Institute for Child Health and Development, National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, and the National Institute of Aging, she analyzes demographic, behavioral, and neighborhood data from large-scale studies to identify patterns of sleep and wellness in child, adolescent, adult, and aging populations. Dr. Hale suggests that the results raise concerns about public health and social justice; she also presents some initial thoughts on what we, as individuals and a society, might do about it. Dr. Hale has published over 45 published peer-reviewed articles in Sleep, Sleep Medicine Reviews, Journal of Sleep Research, Pediatrics, among numerous other peer-reviewed journals. Dr.Hale is Associate Professor of Preventive Medicine at Stony Brook University where she is Core Faculty in the Program in Public Health. She received her PhD from Princeton University. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the National Sleep Foundation. In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)