How does sleep impact blood sugar regulation? What is the link between obesity and sleep quality? How can healthcare providers properly assess sleep issues with their patients and help them have better nights to improve their metabolic health?
These and other questions will be part of the IPTN’s September 20th free webinar ‘How to assess and support patients to have healthy sleep behaviours.’
The presenter is the noted Canadian sleep expert Dr. Charles Samuels, the Medical Director of the Centre for Sleep & Human Performance and The Sleep Institute in Calgary.
Dr. Samuels is a Diplomat of the American Board of Sleep Medicine and a member of the Sleep Medicine Advisory Committee of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta. He is a frequent commentator in both lay and medical forums for sleep and health.
“I’ve been talking about sleep and health for more than 25 years and we are now finally, as health professionals and society, recognizing how important good sleep is for our general health,” said Dr. Samuels.
Why are sleep issues so important to health providers who are interested in therapeutic nutrition for metabolic health?
“If you're not sleeping enough, or the quality of your sleep is not good enough, what you do for your health otherwise, like diet and exercise, won’t work as well as they should. We know this,” Dr. Samuels says. During the webinar, Dr. Samuels will summarize the evidence about sleep and metabolic health, such as how sleep impacts blood glucose regulation, insulin resistance, weight control, diabetes risk, and cardiovascular health.
He will provide guidelines for how to clinically assess a patient for sleep behaviours, sleep health, and sleep disorders, how to initiate basic and important behavioural measures to improve sleep health, and when to refer to a sleep expert. “Participants will walk away with information that they can apply to their patients and their practices right away,” said Dr. Samuels. The 90-minute webinar will feature a formal presentation by Dr. Samuels followed by a Q&A session. “I always find that people have lots of questions. Sleep issues impact us all.”
Dr. Samuels notes that the relationship between sleep and therapeutic nutrition is a two-way street. While good sleep is essential to improve the effectiveness of therapeutic nutrition interventions, certain nutritional elements can improve the quality of sleep. In particular, ensuring adequate hydration and protein intake is crucial to the depth and quality of sleep, Dr. Samuels said. Reducing or eliminating alcohol consumption is another key factor in improving sleep.
“If you are struggling with your sleep, if you simply take 30 days and remove alcohol from your life, you might be shocked at how much your sleep improves,” Dr. Samuels said.
The webinar takes place September 20, 2023, at 5 pm Pacific time.
To register for the webinar click this link. This webinar will not be recorded.