Advocating for Sleep as a Foundational Health Behavior in Clinical Practice: Beth Malow, MD, MS

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"Sleep is a very important driver of our blood pressure, cardiovascular health, and lipids. All of those different things that feed into health can be promoted when we get a good night's sleep, and we need to realize sleep touches so many areas of health."

Sleep health is increasingly recognized as a central determinant of overall wellness, influencing cardiovascular risk, metabolic regulation, neurodevelopment, and mental health. In a culture that often prioritizes productivity, extended work hours, and constant connectivity, many individuals still underestimate the importance of adequate sleep. At the same time, an abundance of information has introduced misconceptions about sleep needs, circadian rhythms, and commonly used interventions. As clinicians in this evolving landscape, reframing sleep as a foundational health behavior, rather than an optional luxury, has become a key objective in clinical practice.

At the 2026 SLEEP Annual Meeting, held June 14-17 in Baltimore, Maryland, this public health imperative was underscored by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s Sleep Health Advocate Award. The 2026 honoree, Beth Malow, MD, MS, professor of neurology and pediatrics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, was recognized for her sustained contributions to advancing sleep health awareness and policy. Her advocacy began locally around 2015–2016 with efforts to delay school start times so adolescents could obtain sufficient sleep and has since expanded to national initiatives. Malow has advocated for permanent standard time, testified before Congress, and focused on improving public understanding of melatonin safety.

In an interview with NeurologyLive^®, Malow reflected on this advocacy journey and outlined her approach to engaging patients, families, and the broader community. Rather than telling individuals what to think about sleep, she emphasized providing tools and evidence to help them make informed decisions. She highlighted sleep as a core health behavior that affects blood pressure, cardiovascular health, and daily functioning, and shared insights from her work with children and adults with autism, where better sleep has been associated with improvements in physical, emotional, and mental health, school participation, and progress toward therapeutic goals.

Click here for more coverage of SLEEP 2026.

REFERENCES
1. American Academy of Sleep Medicine announces 2026 award recipients. AASM. News release. March 27, 2026. Accessed June 16, 2026. https://aasm.org/aasm-2026-award-recipients/