On Thursday the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services unveiled Healthy People 2020, the nation’s new 10-year goals and objectives for health promotion and disease prevention. The initiative provides a framework for public health prevention priorities and actions.

“Sleep Health” is one of the new topic areas included in Healthy People 2020, which contains four specific Sleep Health Objectives:

1.     Increase the proportion of persons with symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea who seek medical evaluation
2.     Reduce the rate of vehicular crashes per 100 million miles traveled that are due to drowsy driving
3.     Increase the proportion of students in grades 9 through 12 who get sufficient sleep
4.     Increase the proportion of adults who get sufficient sleep

"Too many people are not reaching their full potential for health because of preventable conditions," Assistant Secretary for Health Howard K. Koh, MD, MPH, said in an HHS statement. “Healthy People is the nation’s roadmap and compass for better health, providing our society a vision for improving both the quantity and quality of life for all Americans.”