AHPA OnlineEd
Topic: Wake up to the benefits of sleep in arthritis
Presenter: Marie Westby
Date: Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Time: 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. EST
For individuals with arthritis, finding the right balance of activity, rest, and sleep can be a challenge. The Canadian 24-hour Movement Guidelines recommend between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night, of which the deep non-REM portion is critical for immune health. Achieving this recommended amount of sleep is associated with 25% less likelihood of having osteoarthritis and reduced all-cause mortality risk according to the NHANES longitudinal study in the US. Helping our clients increase physical activity levels to meet the recommended guidelines is an ongoing challenge. Maybe it’s time we target sleep disturbances and this important phase of the 24-hour cycle. We’ll take a look at the role of sleep in immune function and overall health, its association with inflammatory and degenerative arthritis, and what we can do to apply behaviour change techniques to address this often-overlooked aspect of the 24-hour day.
Marie Westby
Marie Westby, PT, PhD is a PT Clinical Resource Educator with the Mary Pack Arthritis Program in Vancouver, a clinician scientist at the Centre for Aging SMART and Clinical Associate Professor in Department of Physical Therapy at UBC. Her clinical and research interests include exercise and physical activity prescription and rehabilitation best practices for people undergoing hip and knee replacement surgery.