Better Nights and Better Days for Canadians: An Innovative National Strategy to Prevent and Improve Insomnia Across the Lifespan Using Digital Approaches for Sleep Promotion, Intervention, and Provider Training

The most common sleep disorder is insomnia (difficulties falling and/or staying asleep), which affects Canadians of all ages. Insomnia (and symptoms of insomnia) has a negative impact on people's mental and physical health, learning and cognition, quality of life, and well-being. While we know how to treat insomnia, most people do not have access to treatments that work. This program of research will improve access with age-targeted digital programs and resources for insomnia. This will include: 1) a social media campaign to promote sleep heath, 2) digital resources about healthy sleep practices including a mobile app, 3) online insomnia treatments including cognitive and behavioural interventions, 4) programs for healthcare providers to learn how to diagnose and treat insomnia, and 5) sleep education programs for teachers to use with their students. All of these resources and interventions will be located in a dynamic Better Nights Better Days virtual portal. Resources will be delivered to the person with insomnia (or their parent), to schools and universities, to work settings, and within hospitals and other care settings. We will also train upcoming researchers to continue to progress the field of sleep medicine, including the development of insomnia treatments. This project aims to improve knowledge about insomnia and design treatments for Indigenous peoples, and those facing health problems and social and economic disadvantages. Our research will engage users to co-design resources and interventions to enhance acceptability and effectiveness. These programs will be designed for sustainability to ensure accessibility now and in the future. The goal of this research is to give all Canadians, regardless of their age, sex, gender, location, ethnicity, and health status, access to tools and interventions to support them to achieve better nights and better days.