If you ask adults what is their favorite pastime, most of them would tell you it is dozing off. And yet, they don’t make enough time for it!
But sleep isn’t just a pastime, a delightful activity or thing of joy. It is a necessity!
The lack of sleep can cause several health issues, physical, mental, and emotional. On realizing this absence of awareness around the need for good quality sleep, the World Association of Sleep Medicine (WASM) and the World Sleep Federation (WSF) founded World Sleep Day in 2008. The theme for that year was, ‘Sleep well, live fully awake’.
Over the years, the World Sleep Day themes and slogans have gone deeper, talking about other aspects of health that sleep impacts. For instance, better breathing, healthy aging, better planet, mental health, etc.
When we talk about World Sleep Day, the first thought that occurs is, how do we celebrate the day. Did you just think this too? If yes, then today’s blog is for you.
We have curated the best world sleep day activities for you to give it a whirl this Sleep Day.
1. Read up about sleep nutrition
The best sleep habits need to take into account a number of factors, from a good diet to proper exercise. To help you develop good sleep habits, we invited nutritionist and Fit India ambassador Nikita Suresh for a chat on food, sleep, and all things wholesome.
Read our interview with the nutritionist and Fit India Ambassador Nikita Suresh where we discuss the ingredients of healthy sleeping.
2. Inspire yourself with sleep success stories
Wakefit’s Sleep Internship has inspired millions of people to get serious about their zzzs. One such success story is that of Vijay Thanki, our sleep intern from Season 1. Vijay, during his internship, went deep into sleep and understood the nexus between sleep and weight. The sleep internship, he says, helped him lose 26kg!
Read the full interview and get motivated to sleep better on World Sleep Day.
3. Start gratitude journaling before bed
World sleep day 2022 theme is Quality Sleep, Sound Mind, Happy World. This year the focus, therefore, is on the relationship between sleep and mental health. A great way to tackle both? Gratitude journaling!
Though mental health cannot have a one-size-fits-all solution, studies have shown that practicing gratitude can help us sleep better. In an interview for Inc.com, Harvard researcher and author Shawn Achor says, “Something as simple as writing down three things you’re grateful for every day for 21 days in a row significantly increases your level of optimism, and it holds for the next six months.”
Every night before you score some zzzs, take out your journal and jot down at least three things that you are grateful for. This helps in two ways. One, you are practicing gratitude and ending your day on a good note. Two, you are staying away from electronic devices, and thus avoiding their blue night which is known to hamper sleep by delaying it.
Read more about it here: How to practice nighttime gratitude journaling
4. Move your body for good sleep
One of the most common sleeping disorders that we have come across while conducting our Great Indian Sleep Survey across India is insomnia. Though one suffering from chronic insomnia is recommended to seek help from a medical professional, for acute insomnia there are some restorative yoga poses that could help.
A few of these yoga poses are Vyaghra Shwasa (Cat and Cow Pose), Baddha Konasana/Supta Baddhakonasana (Butterfly / Sleeping butterfly legs), Sasankasana (Child’s pose), Raising your legs to a wall and lying there with wall support also helps in getting sleep.
You can read our conversation with Yoga Instructor Charu Sawant and stretch your mind about sleep.
5. Make room for restful sleep
A cluttered bedroom can wreak havoc on your sleep quality. This is not an opinion, but a researched fact.
According to researchers, an unorganized bedroom can have the same effect on your sleep as stress does. When we are stressed, our body releases a hormone called cortisol into the bloodstream which makes it very difficult for us to fall asleep.
The cortisol level, ordinarily, is the highest in the wee hours of the morning right before we wake up. This level starts dropping throughout the day, reaching its lowest point right before we doze off.
When our sleep space is full of clutter, then the cortisol levels refuse to fall. As a result, we struggle to go to sleep.
Here are some tips to declutter your space for better sleep.
FAQs
- How do we celebrate sleep day?
There are many ways that you can celebrate World Sleep Day. Let us help you with a few ideas.
i. Get your snooze on! The best way to celebrate World Sleep Day is to enjoy a delicious nap.
ii. Take a pledge to sleep better this year, and to turn that into action, start switching off your digital devices at least an hour before bed.
iii. Create a sleep lagoon. A dedicated sleep space is the best way to ensure quality sleep. On World Sleep Day, this year, get rid of everything from your bedroom that does not put you in the mood to snooze.
iv. Shop for nighttime snacks that help you with your sleep. Load up on almonds, chamomile tea, bananas, and walnuts.
v. Buy a sleep journal for yourself.
vi. Get yourself an ideal mattress that supports your dreams!
- When do we celebrate World Sleep Day?
World Sleep Day is celebrated every year on the Friday before the March Equinox. This year, it falls on the 18th of March.
- What is the World Sleep Day 2022 theme?
The slogan and theme for World Sleep Day 2022 are, “Quality Sleep, Sound Mind, Happy World”. This theme was chosen to demonstrate the effect sleep has on our mental health. It speaks of how good quality sleep can contribute to a sounder mind, and therefore, a happier world.
- What can you do on World Sleep Day?
The best way you can spend World Sleep Day is by updating your sleep knowledge. Read up on how you can improve your sleep, which foods you should take and what you should avoid before bed, what kind of exercises are good for you and your sleep, etc. And once you are more woke about sleep, spread the awareness!
- Who created World Sleep Day?
World Sleep Day is an awareness activity created by the World Association of Sleep Medicine (WASM) and the World Sleep Federation (WSF). It is an annual event hosted to spread awareness around sleep and health.
No Comments