About us

Working together to make sleep a recognised priority in European health policy

Our vision

The coalition is envisioned as a neutral, cross-sectoral alliance and platform that unites leading voices across sleep science, healthcare, advocacy, and civil society. By bringing together this diverse ecosystem, the coalition will elevate sleep health as a vital pillar of Europe’s public health agenda, positioning it alongside nutrition and exercise, mental health and Non-Communicable Diseases.

Despite growing awareness, sleep remains underrepresented in EU policy, funding frameworks, and prevention strategies. Sleep disorders continue to be underdiagnosed, undertreated, and insufficiently integrated into prevention and chronic disease management programmes. This gap limits Europe’s ability to fully address rising healthcare costs, mental health challenges, and workplace productivity losses linked to poor sleep. The coalition will address this gap by building a credible, evidence-based policy voice.

Download Partner Info Pack (PDF)

Coalition format

The coalition will provide a coordinated, credible platform for advocacy and action through:

A scientific and evidence-based narrative, emphasizing the societal, economic, and healthcare impact of sleep disorders;

A diverse membership base of medical societies, NGOs, advocacy networks, researchers, and industry stakeholders;

An agile, evolving structure that welcomes regular input, content co-creation, and continuous onboarding  of like-minded organisations.

The Coalition will serve as a topic-driven and neutral space for collaboration, content co-creation, and joint communication, aimed at influencing policy, public opinion, and media narratives.

This model positions the coalition to grow organically over time and to respond flexibly to developments in the EU public health and digital health agenda.

Core principles

It is time the European Union recognised that:

Sleep is a foundational pillar of public health. Like nutrition and exercise, healthy sleep is essential for preventing disease, supporting mental well-being, and enabling recovery at every stage of life. Prioritising sleep health in prevention programmes and policy is crucial for improving public health outcomes, reducing healthcare burdens, and enhancing quality of life.

The European Union is facing a silent sleep health crisis.

Chronic fatigue, burnout, and undiagnosed and untreated sleep disorders are contributing to health disorders and chronic diseases. They are quietly undermining productivity and safety, increasing healthcare costs, and widening social inequalities. Yet sleep is still overlooked in most policy discussions and clinical practice.

Every person deserves the right to healthy sleep.

Healthy sleep is closely linked to the prevention and management of health disorders and chronic diseases. Economic stress, health conditions, digital overload and shift-based work directly affect how well people sleep. Medical education should include comprehensive training on sleep health, and primary care providers should be equipped to screen for sleep issues. Addressing these structural barriers both in education and medical practice is essential.

Sleep must be named and measured in EU policy.

Given its well-documented and significant influence on overall health and well-being as well as its implications for addressing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) including mental health, sleep should be explicitly included in EU strategies with dedicated funding for research and public health initiatives.

Indicative policy priorities

Raise public awareness

Integrate sleep education into public health campaigns in workplaces, schools and digital platforms, we can empower citizens to seek help early, before symptoms escalate.

Secure EU-level recognition  and funding

Position sleep on the EU health policy agenda and increase funding for sleep research and future projects.

Embed sleep in NCD and mental health strategies

Promote early screening in primary care, improve diagnostic pathways, and expand access for under-detected conditions such as obstructive sleep apnea.

Why partner with the coalition?

By joining Sleep Health Europe, you help lead a collective effort to make sleep health a recognised pillar of public health across Europe. Together, we can:

Shape the health and policy agenda to ensure sleep health becomes an essential part of Europe’s approach to better health.

Collaborate with leading experts and advocates to co-create impactful narratives and evidence relevant to sleep health.

Ensure meaningful policy impact through recommendations that strengthen awareness, research, and access to quality sleep care.

Lead the way in tackling one of Europe’s most under-recognised health challenges – driving collective impact for people, economies, and societies across the continent.

Partners

Sleep Health Europe brings together leading organisations across science, healthcare, and industry that work collectively to make healthy sleep a recognised public-health priority in Europe.

European Brain Council