World Sleep Day
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.
Criticism
On 17 March 2017 World Sleep Day trended on Twitter. Renowned Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan tweeted 'its World Sleep Day tomorrow 17 March..whatever that means !!'.[2]. It has been criticised 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]
Cost of sleeplessness
It is estimated that sleep deprivation costs the US over $400 billion a year with Japan losing $138 billion, Germany $60 billion, the UK $50 billion, and Canada $21 billion.[citation needed]
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'[citation needed] |
| 2009 | 20 March | 'Drive alert, arrive safe'[5] |
| 2010 | 19 March | 'Sleep Well, Stay Healthy'[6] |
| 2011 | 18 March | 'Sleep Well, Grow Healthy'[7] |
| 2012 | 16 March | 'Breathe Easily, Sleep Well'[8] |
| 2013 | 15 March | 'Good Sleep, Healthy Aging'[8] |
| 2014 | 14 March | 'Restful Sleep, Easy Breathing, Healthy Body'[8] |
| 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'[9] |
References
- ^ World Sleep Day World Association of Sleep Medicine, accessed 19 March 2011
- ^ Twitter @SrBachchan
- ^ "Why the sleep industry is keeping us awake at night". Guardian. 9 March 2019. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
- ^ "Good Sleep is a Reachable Dream". Retrieved 2016-03-17.
- ^ https://www.reuters.com/article/2009/03/17/idUS181827+17-Mar-2009+PRN20090317
- ^ "March 19 2010 is Third Annual World Sleep Day". Thaindian News.
- ^ "Philips official sponsor of World Sleep Day 2011". March 18, 2011.
- ^ a b c "World Sleep Day® is March 15, 2019".
- ^ "World Sleep Day 2015 toolkit" (PDF). Retrieved 2020-03-12.