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Wednesday, 8 June 2011

With sleep disorders costing the Australian community $10 billion a year, the newly refurbished Centre for Sleep Science at The University of Western Australia will address the causes of poor sleep.

The Centre, headed by Winthrop Professor Peter Eastwood, has undergone a $1 million upgrade and boasts three bedrooms equipped with state-of-the-art sleep recording and analysis equipment.  It also contains consulting rooms, a range of training and seminar rooms, and upgraded offices.

"We spend a third of our lives asleep," Professor Eastwood said.  "Most of us wake the next day feeling refreshed and rested.  But this is not the case for many people who have sleep disorders, poor sleep habits or who do shift work.

"Research over the past 15 years has resulted in an explosive growth in our understanding of the consequences of poor sleep, which include increased risk of mental and physical illness, car and industrial accidents and productivity loss at work.

"Sleep science research has far-ranging implications for improving individual health and well-being and for optimising shift scheduling, safety and productivity."

Professor Eastwood's research focuses on the challenges to breathing during wakefulness, sleep and general anaesthesia.  His other sleep-related research is in areas including schizophrenia and sleep disorders; the effect of cold-water immersion post-exercise on sleep; and stroke, dysphagia and sleep apnoea.

A clinical partnership with the West Australian Sleep Disorders Research Institute at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital will support academic courses from graduate certificates to PhD programs.  And an innovative partnership with the University of Adelaide will see the development of a jointly badged Graduate Diploma in Dental Sleep Medicine.

The Centre was opened by John Day, the Minister for Science and Innovation followjng a brief speech by W/Professor Eastwood.

Media references

Winthrop Professor Peter Eastwood (+61 8)  9346 1706
Janine MacDonald (UWA Public Affairs)  (+61 8)  6488 5563  /  (+61 4) 32 637 716

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