It seems like there is a day for everything and World Sleep Day sounds like a meme but it is a fact.
The World Sleep Society (Yes, there is such an organization), formerly called the World Association of Sleep Medicine was the one that came up with the idea of World Sleep Day. Since 2008, this day is annually celebrated on the Friday that comes before the March Equinox (Spring Vernal Equinox).
This year, the day falls on March 18 and the goal of Sleep Day is to raise awareness about the importance of quality sleep and its benefits to human health.
This day needs more recognition as quality sleep has become a privilege in modern life. Sleep disorders, insomnia and other issues with respect to sleep are becoming more and more common in our digital world and Sleep Day addresses better ways to prevent and manage sleep issues so people can live healthier lives.
Like other events, World Sleep Day too has a theme or slogan each year. In 2021, the slogan was ‘Regular Sleep, Healthy Future’. The slogan for 2022 World Sleep Day is – ‘Quality Sleep, Sound Mind, Happy World’.
The slogan says it all. This year World Sleep Day wants to raise awareness about mental health issues that are impacted from poor sleep patterns. Globally, the pattern is alarming. Most people don’t take the adage of sleeping 8 hours seriously.
And among the youth, while they do manage to clock 8-10 hours’ sleep the disturbing pattern is that they sleep at odd hours. It is common practice to sleep in the wee hours of the morning and wake up by noon the next day.
This pattern is harmful to health as it will destroy the quality of REM sleep, cause havoc to the metabolism and in the long run cause disruptions in the inner workings of the human body.
World Sleep Society this year addresses the most important question, which is – How many hours sleep does a person need every night?
According to them, Heredity plays a big role in the length of one’s sleep. But as per a large global survey, an adult requires minimum of 7 to 8 hours sleep to function optimally.
So what should you be doing this World Sleep Day?
- Sleep for at least 7 -8 hours.
- Establish a sleep routine where you go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day.
- Remove all distractions that can disturb your sleep (Put away the mobile phone).
- Make sure the pillow and mattress are comfortable .
- Check your sleep posture – you should not wake up feeling any aches and pains because of the way you slept.
