Sign up for the live webinar here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/luJ_zwrTSWeh9CNmjDPq5Q
When: 17th September 6.30-8pm AEST
Where: Live zoom webinar with recording available here after the event.
Cost: Free
About the webinar
Sleep is an auto-regulated biological process and is disrupted as part of ME/CFS; much like temperature regulation, blood pressure or gut function.
Yet clinicians often expect patients to normalise their sleep through strict rules, which adds burden and sets patients up to fail.
This session reframes the goal. We’ll look at what’s actually happening with sleep in ME/CFS, how to distinguish intrinsic sleep dysregulation from comorbid sleep disorders that are worth treating (such as sleep apnoea, restless legs and circadian problems), and how to set realistic, functional sleep goals within a patient’s energy limits.
Learning outcomes
- Eplain why disrupted sleep is an expected part of ME/CFS — sleep as an auto-regulated process affected by the illness, like dysautonomia, temperature or gut symptoms, rather than a sign of treatment failure.
- Recognise the harm in expecting “normal” sleep — how rigid sleep rules and a “fixable sleep” message add burden and hopelessness for patients.
- Identify the sleep problems worth treating — distinguish intrinsic sleep dysregulation from comorbid disorders (sleep apnoea, restless legs, circadian rhythm problems) that warrant assessment and management in their own right.
- Set realistic, functional sleep goals — practical strategies within the patient’s energy envelope, sensible use of medication, and removing counterproductive rules.
Target audience and CPD
This session is designed for GPs, medical specialists and allied health professionals with an interest in ME/CFS, and complex chronic illness. Health professional students are welcome.
RACGP activity ID – pending
All participants will be automatically issued a certificate on completion of the webinar for your records.
Your speaker
Dr David Cunnington
Dr David Cunnington is a specialist sleep physician based on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, and sleep lead at Sunshine Coast University Hospital. He is a director of the Australasian Sleep Association and an author of Australia’s national clinical guidelines on the management of insomnia.
David is a Diplomate of Behavioural Sleep Medicine and is a field editor for the international journal Sleep Medicine. He is co-host of the Sleep Talk podcast and founder of SleepHub, an evidence-based consumer sleep health platform. David has a particular clinical interest in complex sleep presentations, including sleep in ME/CFS, long COVID, and dysautonomia.
