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Lifestyle Medicine and Sleep – Evidence, Interventions, and Health Impacts

ThursdayJuly 2nd1:45 - 2:45253

Özden GÖKDEMIR, Snežana KNEŽEVIĆ, Tehila MAZAL and Vilma KRIAUCIONIENE

Sleep complaints are common in family medicine, yet non-pharmaceutical interventions remain underutilized. This workshop equips family physicians with evidence-based Lifestyle Medicine tools to address sleep disorders through behavioral change. Research demonstrates that lifestyle interventions—encompassing physical activity, nutrition, stress management, and sleep hygiene—significantly improve sleep quality, reduce symptoms of insomnia, and decrease dependence on pharmacotherapy. Family physicians can offer holistic, sustainable solutions aligned with patient preferences.By the end of this session, participants will be able to: Synthesize evidence linking lifestyle factors (exercise, diet, stress) to sleep quality and sleep disorders. Counsel patients using evidence-based strategies across four domains: physical activity timing, dietary modifications, sleep hygiene protocols, and stress reduction techniques. Demonstrate motivational interviewing through live mindfulness exercises and patient-centered communication. Evaluate implementation barriers and develop feasible action plans adaptable to diverse patient contexts.Interactive polling assesses current practice patterns. Evidence-based mini-lectures present key findings with visual aids. Live demonstration includes a guided 5-minute mindfulness breathing exercise. Structured worksheets support action planning. Plenary discussion addresses implementation challenges in primary care settings. The workshop consists of a 60-minute core session, with an optional 15-minute Q&A extension. The session begins with an interactive introduction and polling on current sleep counseling practices, followed by an evidence synthesis that links lifestyle behaviors to sleep outcomes with clinical implications. The main segment covers four intervention pillars with practical applications: exercise prescription timing, dietary counseling strategies, sleep hygiene recommendations, and stress reduction techniques, culminating in a guided mindfulness demonstration. Participants then develop individualized action plans using structured worksheets before concluding with a summary and resource distribution. For those interested, an extended Q&A and case discussion period follows the main session.Participants will integrate evidence-based sleep interventions into consultations, confidently prescribe non-pharmaceutical approaches, utilize structured counseling frameworks, and provide actionable strategies respecting individual circumstances and preferences.Lifestyle Medicine transforms sleep counseling from symptom management to root-cause intervention. Family physicians who master these evidence-based behavioral tools can offer patients sustainable, empowering alternatives to medication-first approaches.