Facing sleep apnea together: How Project Sleep’s campaign is shattering stereotypes and raising awareness

Sleep apnea impacts hundreds of thousands of individuals throughout the USA, but many nonetheless wrestle to acknowledge its signs, entry well timed testing, or really feel understood of their prognosis journey. To assist shut these gaps, Mission Sleep launched Sleep Apnea: Let’s Face It!, a yr‑spherical consciousness marketing campaign designed to shatter stereotypes and spotlight the true faces and tales behind this severe sleep problem.

As Sleep Apnea Training Week (April 18–26) approaches, the marketing campaign takes heart stage by inviting people, households, clinicians, and advocates to affix a nationwide effort to enhance understanding and assist for folks residing with sleep apnea.

Shattering stereotypes by visibility

A core characteristic of the marketing campaign is encouraging individuals who assist the sleep apnea neighborhood to share a particular photograph on social media. To participate within the marketing campaign, individuals obtain the official “Sleep Apnea: Let’s Face It!” sign, snap a photograph holding it, and share on social media why they’re “all in” for sleep apnea consciousness utilizing the hashtag #SleepApneaLetsFaceIt and tagging Mission Sleep.

Docs and different well being care professionals working with folks with sleep apnea are inspired to participate within the marketing campaign to lift consciousness and present their assist. Free infographics, fact sheets, and graphics could be downloaded to share on-line or printed and pinned to note boards.

A marketing campaign rooted in actual tales

Sleep apnea is way extra widespread than many understand, affecting greater than an estimated 80 million U.S. adults — but 80% stay undiagnosed. Symptoms can range broadly, from gasping throughout sleep to morning complications, irritability, and daytime sleepiness.

To problem outdated assumptions, Sleep Apnea: Let’s Face It! elevates personal stories from folks residing with sleep apnea throughout the U.S., resembling:

Chris Allen, pediatric neurologist and sleep specialist
Kristen Cascio, scientific social employee
Chuck and Sandra Watson, a retired couple navigating sleep apnea collectively
Edgar Castro Tello, sustainability skilled
Geoff Eade, registered sleep technologist
Emma Cooksey, affected person advocate and host of the Sleep Apnea Squad sequence

These tales assist folks acknowledge signs, really feel much less alone, and perceive that therapy could be life‑altering.

Training that empowers

Mission Sleep’s broader instructional efforts, together with the Sleep Apnea Squad sequence, present accessible steerage on prognosis, therapy choices, CPAP consolation, decreasing stigma, and each day residing with sleep apnea. Hosted by affected person advocate and Mission Sleep’s Sleep Apnea Program Supervisor, Emma Cooksey, the sequence consists of movies, downloadable PDF toolkits, podcasts, and social media content material.

Tune in to the subsequent Sleep Apnea Squad broadcast, Women and Sleep Apnea, throughout Sleep Apnea Training Week. On Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at 2 p.m. EDT, a featured panel will talk about how sleep apnea can current otherwise in girls and what girls have to find out about prognosis and therapy.

Constructing a extra supportive future

Sleep apnea is a severe persistent situation. Nonetheless, with consciousness, training, and neighborhood assist, folks can entry the testing and therapy they deserve. Mission Sleep’s Sleep Apnea: Let’s Face It! marketing campaign helps reshape the dialog by centering actual folks, actual tales, and actual options.

As Sleep Apnea Training Week approaches, now’s the right time to get involved, increase your voice, and assist construct a future the place nobody feels alone or dismissed on their sleep apnea journey.