World Sleep Day: Why It Matters

In the modern world, it’s easy to feel like a stranger in your own body. You sleep in a different room, you wake up at an ungodly hour to get on a bus or drive to work, and you spend hours each day staring at a screen.

I know it can sometimes be hard to get the sleep you need. We live in a society that makes us want to stay up late, spend all day on our phones and computers, then go to work and get stressed out. All of this makes it easy to lose track of the most important thing we do every day: sleep. I’m talking about the full eight hours, not that six hours we’ve been getting lately while we stare at our phone before bed. So I think right now, it's more important than ever to carve out a space for ourselves where we can just chill out and let our body do what it was made to do: rest.

Did you know that there's a day dedicated to celebrating the importance, beauty, and power of sleep?

Yes, you read it right because today is World Sleep Day!

World Sleep Day is all about bringing awareness to the importance of healthy sleep. It was started by members of the World Association of Sleep Medicine in 2008 and has been an annual event ever since. No one is a stranger to the concept of sleep; it's something that, as humans, we do every day. But how much do we really know about the science of sleep? While there aren't too many people who actively dislike sleep, most of us don't get enough, and we often don't understand why it's so important. I’m going to give you a basic rundown on what happens in our body when we sleep—and why getting regular rest is an essential component of leading a healthy life.

Our body uses the time we spend sleeping to heal both our mind and body, as well as recharge all its batteries. During the hours we spend asleep, our brain is still active—it helps form and consolidate memories, as well as sort through information. It also plays a role in repairing tissue and strengthening our immune system. Our body produces more human growth hormone during this time, which is essential for cell regeneration and growth. Sleep also plays a role in regulating your metabolism and weight by controlling hormones that regulate feelings of hunger or fullness.

And today’s World Sleep Day, I'd like to suggest you to take this opportunity to enjoy a good rest. Whether you're a strict 8-hours-a-night advocate or you tend to go by more of a "sleep when you're dead" policy, there are plenty of reasons to take some time off from the busyness of your life and just take a nap. Not only does it help you feel refreshed and ready to go after a long day, sleep also helps you process your emotions, consolidate memories, and boost your immune system—all things that can help make you healthier and happier in the long run.

If you're well-rested, your physical, mental, and emotional health will suffer less. Your performance in school or at work will improve. Your bonds will be stronger as a result. And you'll be able to think better and make decisions with a clear mind. Sleep is so important for a wide range of bodily functions and processes, like cell restoration and repair, immune system function, memory consolidation, metabolism regulation, appetite regulation… we could go on! But in short: if you want to be healthy—mentally, emotionally, physically—you need to get enough sleep. And that's true no matter who you are or what your schedule looks like. It doesn't matter if you're sick or healthy; getting the right amount of sleep is essential for living a healthy life.

The most important thing in life is rest. You can be the best at something—the fastest, the strongest, the smartest—but if you aren't well-rested, it doesn't matter. I don't care how much you know or what you've accomplished—if you're exhausted and sleep deprived, the world will go on without you. And guess what? It won't skip a beat.

To me, that's kind of a scary thought. But it also means that no matter where you are in life, no matter how much success or failure you've had, if you're able to prioritize rest above everything else and make sure your mind and body get enough time to rejuvenate every day… then there's nothing that can stop you.

On World Sleep Day, we're reminded that at the end of the day, all we really want is to curl up in a blanket and enjoy a good rest. It's not just about getting a full eight hours—it's about being cozy, taking time for yourself, and letting your body know you've earned some relaxation.

So today, we should take some time to honor the importance of sleep in our overall health, and to reflect on how we can improve our own sleeping habits.