Sleep health dominates discussion at recent CATalyst CHAT

A very engaged group of attendees peppered faculty experts with questions about sleep health during the most recent CATalyst CHAT: “Sleep and Shine: Sleep Health Across the Lifespan.” The session focused on one of the most essential ingredients for health and performance—sleep. From childhood through adulthood, sleep affects learning, mood, immunity and overall well-being.

Answering questions about sleep quality, wearables, sleep walking and apnea treatment options were Dr. Sairam Parthasarathy, chief of the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine and director of U of A's Center for Sleep, Circadian & Neuroscience Research, and Dr. Daniel Combs, associate professor of Pediatrics and Medicine and director of the Pediatric Sleep Medicine Program at Banner–University Medical Center Tucson. 

The Center for Sleep Medicine is an innovative space that brings together researchers from three colleges: Medicine, Nursing and Public Health. It enables researchers to study sleep and circadian rhythms while meticulously controlling a multitude of factors including temperature, noise levels, and the intensity, duration and color of light. Sleep investigations are vital to sleep-related conditions such as sleep apnea, heart disease and stroke, as well as long-term air flying and future space exploration. For example, the Center can create conditions like jet lag, without getting on a jet.

The event was the last of the 2025 CATalyst CHATs. The series will resume in February 2026 with a session about the ethics of artificial intelligence.