World Sleep Day is a globally celebrated event to raise awareness about the importance of sleep and promote stronger sleep habits. It takes place on the Friday before the Spring Equinox, which in 2023 is March 17th (also St. Patrick’s Day).
One in four US adults self-report getting insufficient sleep at least half of each month and one in five experience a known sleep disorder or an intermittent sleep problem. That’s about 70 million Americans battling through sleep issues every year.
And that’s just one country. An estimated one third of working adults worldwide face sleep issues and irregularities at least once per month.
It doesn’t take a neurosurgeon to see that sleep hygiene is a real issue, both in the US and globally. That’s why World Sleep Day is one of the best times to prioritize your sleep health.
What Is World Sleep Day?
World Sleep Day is a sleep health awareness campaign initiated by the World Sleep Society in 2008. The aim of the campaign is to improve the quality of sleep and raise awareness about the various sleep disorders that affect people across the globe.
The World Sleep Society is a non-profit organization that includes researchers, clinicians, and other healthcare professionals with an interest in improving global sleep health. These professionals work to advance higher quality education and strengthen patient care for all sleep-related activities, corporately and individually.
4 World Sleep Day Activities
World Sleep Day is celebrated with a variety of activities and events around the world. These activities are designed to raise awareness about the daily importance of sleep and promote enduring sleep habits. Some of the activities that are commonly associated with World Sleep Day include:
1. Sleep Education Programs
Many organizations and healthcare providers use World Sleep Day as an opportunity to offer educational programs and resources about sleep disorders and healthy sleep habits. These programs focus on topics such as sleep hygiene, sleep apnea, insomnia, and other sleep-related issues.
2. Public Lectures and Seminars
Public lectures and seminars are two more common activities associated with World Sleep Day. These events may be hosted by healthcare providers, researchers, or other sleep experts and cover a wide range of topics related to sleep and sleep disorders.
3. Sleep Walks and Runs
Some communities organize sleep walks and runs to raise awareness about the importance of sleep. These events are typically held at local parks or local colleges and may include activities such as yoga, meditation, and other relaxation techniques.
4. Social Media Campaigns
Social media campaigns are also popular activities associated with World Sleep Day. This type of campaign includes hashtags or daily challenges for a week or more–often effective at getting younger audiences educated and involved.
World Sleep Day Quotes
World Sleep Day wouldn’t be a properly observed occasion without some World Sleep Day quotes. Here are some notable sleep-related quotes to help you celebrate the day in however style you see fit:
- “Sleep is the golden chain that ties health and our bodies together.” – Thomas Dekker
- “A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures for anything.” – Irish Proverb
- “Sleep is the best meditation.” – Dalai Lama
- “The best bridge between despair and hope is a good night’s sleep.” – E. Joseph Cossman
- “Man is a genius when he is dreaming.” – Akira Kurosawa
- “Happiness consists of getting enough sleep. Just that, nothing more.” – Robert A. Heinlein
- “Each night, when I go to sleep, I die. And the next morning, when I wake up, I’m reborn.” – Mahatma Gandhi
- “Yea, all things live forever, though at times they sleep and are forgotten.” – H. Rider Haggard
- “There is more refreshment and stimulation in a nap, even of the briefest, than in all the alcohol ever distilled.” – Edward Lucas
- “The nicest thing for me is sleep. Then at least I can dream.” – Marilyn Monroe
- “A well-spent day brings happy sleep.” – Leonardo da Vinci
- “Your future depends on your dreams, so go to sleep.” – Mesut Barazany
- “Man should forget his anger before he lies down to sleep.” – Mahatma Gandhi
- “When you lie down, you will not be afraid. Your sleep will be sweet.” – Proverbs 3:24
- “There is a time for many words, and there is also a time for sleep.” – Homer
- “Sleep is the golden chain that ties health and our bodies together.” – Thomas Dekker
- “I’ve dreamed a lot. I’m tired now from dreaming but not tired of dreaming. No one tires of dreaming, because to dream is to forget, and forgetting does not weigh on us, it is a dreamless sleep throughout which we remain awake. In dreams I have achieved everything.” ― Fernando Pessoa
- “Three meals plus bedtime make four sure blessings each day.” – Mason Cooley
- “Sleep is the best meditation.” – Dalai Lama
- “True silence is the rest of the mind, and is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment.” – William Penn
- “The worst thing in the world is to try to sleep and not to.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald
- “Don’t fight with the pillow, but lay down your head, and kick every worriment out of the bed.” – Elie Wiesel
- “I want to sleep but my brain won’t stop talking to itself.” – Anonymous
- “Legend says that when you can’t sleep, it’s because you’re awake in someone’s dream. So if everyone could stop dreaming about me, that would be great.” – Anonymous
- “Sleep is the most innocent creature there is and a sleepless man the most guilty.” – Franz Kafka
- “The last refuge of the insomniac is a sense of superiority to the sleeping world.” – Leonard Cohen
- “Also, I could finally sleep. And this was the real gift, because when you cannot sleep, you cannot get yourself out of the ditch–there’s not a chance.” – Elizabeth Gilbert
- “It was that sort of sleep in which you wake every hour and think to yourself that you have not been sleeping at all; you can remember dreams that are like reflections, daytime thinking slightly warped.” – Kim Stanley Robinson
- “Insomnia is a glamorous term for thoughts you forgot to have in the day.” – Alain de Botton
- “Some people can’t sleep because they have insomnia. I can’t sleep because I have the internet.” – Anonymous
- “Without enough sleep, we all become tall two-year-olds.” – JoJo Jensen
- “If a man had as many ideas during the day as he does when he has insomnia, he’d make a fortune.” – Griff Niblack
- “Why can I never go back to bed? Whose is the voice ringing in my head? Where is the sense in these desperate dreams? Why should I wake when I’m half past dead?” – Emilie Autumn
- “Not being able to sleep is terrible. You have the misery of having partied all night… without the satisfaction.” – Lynn Johnston
- “When I’m at work I can fall asleep instantly, but when I’m in my bed I can hardly fall asleep.” – Anonymous
- “If you can’t sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying there worrying. It’s the worry that gets you, not the lack of sleep.” – Dale Carnegie
- “Who said nights were for sleep?” – Marilyn Monroe
- “A ruffled mind makes a restless pillow.” – Charlotte Brontë
- “I tried counting sheep so I can fall asleep but that got boring, so I started talking to the shepherd instead.” – Anonymous
- “The only time I have problems is when I sleep.” – Tupac Shakur
- “Many things – such as loving, going to sleep, or behaving unaffectedly – are done worst when we try hardest to do them.” – C.S. Lewis
How to Celebrate World Sleep Day
For some, World Sleep Day is a reminder that prioritizing sleep hygiene is crucial. For others, it’s an opportunity to get vocal and involved with some of the most important aspects of sleep.
If you want to go all out on this occasion, discover how to celebrate World Sleep Day to its fullest here:
1. Make Sleep a Priority
The best way to celebrate World Sleep Day is making sleep a priority in your life. Learn the essentials of how to sleep better and buy the best mattress for back issues so you can benefit from proper sleep sooner.
2. Learn About Sleep Disorders
World Sleep Day is a good opportunity to become more familiar with the most common sleep disorders, like insomnia, narcolepsy, sleep apnea, and restless leg syndrome (RLS). Discuss how these disorders may have affected your sleep or that of your family members with your doctor, plus any lifestyle habits or medications that may need to be adopted.
3. Reduce Screen Time
Reduce your screen time before bed to promote better sleep. The blue light emitted by electronic devices can interfere with your body’s natural sleep cycle.
4. Create a Sleep-Conducive Environment
Create a sleep-conducive environment by knowing the best temperature to sleep in during all seasons, dark, and quiet. Discover what the healthiest mattress to sleep on is, including the importance of fiberglass-free mattresses, and include an organic latex pillow and organic cotton sheets for maximum comfort.
5. Practice Relaxation Techniques
Learn how to be relaxed by practicing yoga, meditation, or deep breathing exercises to help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
World Sleep Day Facts
What we understand about sleep is always changing and becoming more prevalent through the work of World Sleep Day professionals. It’s part of what makes sleep so fascinating.
If you can’t get enough when it comes to sleep, that’s good news–we have something cool for you. Check out these uncommon facts about sleep and sleep health:
- Sleep deprivation causes a reduction in pain tolerance.
- A teenager named Randy Gardner set the yet-unbroken world record for longest time without sleep in 1963. He stayed awake for 11 days and 25 minutes.
- Most dreams are half forgotten within five minutes of waking up.
- Sleeping on your stomach can make it easier for your body to digest food.
- Cats spend about two thirds of their lives sleeping.
- As of current research, humans are the only type of mammals that willingly delay or modify their sleep schedule.
- Parasomnia is the word used to describe unnatural bodily movements while sleeping.
- People who earn more money sleep better on average.
- Individuals born blind have dreams without this sensory perception, as well.
- It’s estimated that anywhere from 4-15% of the population sleepwalks, with children sleepwalking more than adults.
Frequently Asked Questions About World Sleep Day
Learning about World Sleep Day likely prompts questions you didn’t even know you had about getting enough rest. Take a look at these commonly asked questions and our answers to glean more insights about sleep:
Why Is World Sleep Day Celebrated?
World Sleep Day is celebrated as a chance to reprioritize healthy rest every year. Millions of people worldwide neglect their sleep schedule or simply don’t have the opportunity to change it right now.
Recognizing the significance of nightly recovery encourages more people to take it more seriously. The more people take sleep seriously, the more families and communities benefit from stronger health.
How Do We Celebrate World Sleep Day?
World Sleep Day is celebrated through all kinds of activities. Some of the most popular include:
- Making a commitment to get better sleep, starting now
- Reading books and consuming media about sleep
- Attending an online or in-person sleep seminar
- Talking with your loved ones and family members about sleep habits
Is There a National Sleep Day?
Yes, National Sleep Day in the United States and World Sleep Day are the same each year.
What Is the Theme of the World Sleep Day?
The overall theme of World Sleep Day changes slightly each year. 2023’s theme is “Sleep Is Essential for Health.”
Wrapping Up
Every day is an opportunity to improve your sleep hygiene, but World Sleep Day is one of the biggest reminders. It’s perfect timing too, because average melatonin production decreases when sunlight duration increases, in spring and summer.
This makes it harder for some people to get the sleep they need. Take this year’s World Sleep Day as your chance to prioritize your sleep and get proper rest each night.
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