World Sleep Day (the Friday before the northern hemisphere vernal equinox) is an annual event organized by the World Sleep Day Committee of the World Sleep Society, formerly World Association of Sleep Medicine (WASM), since 2008.[1] The goal is to celebrate the benefits of good and healthy sleep and to draw society's attention to the burden of sleep problems and their medical, educational, and social aspects, and to promote the prevention and management of sleep disorders.

Sleeplessness

It was estimated in 2019 that sleep deprivation cost the US over $400 billion a year with Japan losing $138 billion, Germany $60 billion, the UK $50 billion, and Canada $21 billion.[2]

In an article in The Guardian in 2019, World Sleep Day was criticized as helping to turn sleep into a commodity and pushing the idea that everyone should aspire to a single unbroken block of sleep, an idea which historians say is a recent invention.[3]

Annual celebration

World Sleep Day is observed annually on the Friday before the March Equinox.[4] The first World Sleep Day was held on 14 March 2008. Events involving discussions, presentations of educational materials and exhibitions take place around the world and online.

Year Date Slogan
2008 14 March 'Sleep well, live fully awake'[5]
2009 20 March 'Drive alert, arrive safe'[6]
2010 19 March 'Sleep Well, Stay Healthy'[7]
2011 18 March 'Sleep Well, Grow Healthy'[8]
2012 16 March 'Breathe Easily, Sleep Well'[9]
2013 15 March 'Good Sleep, Healthy Aging'[9]
2014 14 March 'Restful Sleep, Easy Breathing, Healthy Body'[9]
2015 13 March 'When sleep is sound, health and happiness abound'
2016 18 March 'Good Sleep is a Reachable Dream'
2017 17 March 'Sleep Soundly, Nurture Life'
2018 16 March 'Join the Sleep World, Preserve Your Rhythms to Enjoy Life'
2019 15 March 'Healthy Sleep, Healthy Aging'
2020 13 March 'Better Sleep, Better Life, Better Planet'[10]
2021 19 March 'Regular Sleep, Healthy Future'[11]
2022 18 March 'Quality Sleep, Sound Mind, Happy World'[12]
2023 17 March 'Sleep Is Essential for Health'[13]

References

  1. ^ World Sleep Day, accessed 19 March 2011
  2. ^ "World Sleep Day: Sleeplessness Costs the World More Than a Trillion Dollars a Year". News18. 15 March 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  3. ^ "Why the sleep industry is keeping us awake at night". The Guardian. 9 March 2019. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
  4. ^ "Good Sleep is a Reachable Dream". Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  5. ^ "StackPath". worldsleepday.org. 23 October 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  6. ^ Reuters
  7. ^ "March 19 2010 is Third Annual World Sleep Day". Thaindian News.
  8. ^ "Philips official sponsor of World Sleep Day 2011". 18 March 2011.
  9. ^ a b c "World Sleep Day® is March 15, 2019".
  10. ^ "World Sleep Day 2015 toolkit" (PDF). Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  11. ^ "World Sleep Day 2021 [Hindi]: जानिए नींद से जुड़े रोचक तथ्य व Quotes". Tube Light Talks. 19 March 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  12. ^ "StackPath". worldsleepday.org. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  13. ^ "World Sleep Day March 18, 2022". 2015-09-16. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
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