Sleep is in the spotlight. But is it for the best?
Over the past 10 years or so, sleep has gone from being “niche” to mainstream.
Google searches for “sleep optimisation” and “how to sleep better” have more than doubled globally since 2015.
The global sleep tech market (trackers, apps, wearables etc.) is projected to exceed $100 billion by the early 2030s.
Around one in three adults now tracks their sleep in some form.
Sleep is clearly having a moment, and it's about time if you ask me.
But is it all sunshine and rainbows?
Unfortunately not. While awareness has skyrocketed, it has also made things harder from a few angles.
The Downside
Brains Are Reaching Their Capacity
The biggest issue I see is information overload.
People are constantly hearing new advice:
mouth taping
supplements
grounding mats
pillow sprays
special teas
kiwis before bed?
While all of the above have been shown to provide some level of benefit (in some circumstances a reasonable level), they’re nowhere near what mastery of the basics can bring.
And the more information people consume, the more the important things become diluted. And it eventually overflows - and things are forgotten.
Learning About Sleep Can Make Sleep Worse
There’s even a name for this.
Omnisomnia is anxiety around sleep that can actually make someone’s sleep worse. It often appears when people become overwhelmed by information and feel pressure to optimise every aspect of their shut eye.
A more recent variation is orthosomnia - a term used to describe people becoming overly fixated on sleep tracker data, worrying about scores rather than how rested they actually feel.
I’ve experienced both over the years.
While it can impact sleep quality, the bigger issue I found was that it made life feel a bit lifeless. Saying no to things that might knock my sleep score down a point or two. Or spending the day feeling frustrated and knackered simply because my watch told me so.
My advice now is to only look at sleep stats when you actually need to.
They can be brilliant for learning what affects your sleep and how. And they can also help you get more out of your training and avoid injury - if you're taking fitness seriously. But if you don’t have a clear objective behind checking them, it may be worth avoiding the potential downsides.
The Basics Aren’t Very Sexy
Algorithms favour hacks, tricks and unusual approaches.
And that’s because, as humans, that’s what we’re drawn to - quick fixes, ease and novelty.
It often seems easier - and more exciting - to take a “sleep stack” supplement in a sleek, matt black, James Bond-looking bag. Or to spray your pillow with gold, frankincense and myrrh so you have a sleep fit for royalty.
Much more appealing than having a consistent bedtime or putting your phone away earlier.
So if someone is going to choose where to direct their limited attention, it's an unfair fight.
Faith Is Dwindling
Unfortunately, the non-stop firing of often useless information has also started to tarnish people’s perception of wellness professionals.
Online wellness education has almost become a bit of a joke:
“Everything is going to kill me. I might as well not bother.”
And the sheer mass of advice has led many people to believe:
“I’ve tried everything. The advice is useless.”
But often what they’ve actually tried are lots of complicated, low-leverage tactics.
It becomes a bit of a cry wolf situation. When too many false or exaggerated claims are made, genuinely useful advice can end up being dismissed along with the rest.
The Upside of All This Attention
Despite the downsides, I still believe having all these eyes on sleep is a very good thing overall.
For starters, the mere exposure effect will be doing wonders. The more people come across an idea, the more interested they become in it. So while the initial interest may lead to some of the struggles mentioned earlier, as that interest deepens, healthier and more impactful habits should develop.
Greater interest also means more people buying wearables and tracking devices. This is generating enormous amounts of data that researchers can use to better understand sleep. This is set to make the advice given increasingly evidence backed, helping us separate the wheat from the chaff.
Sleep has also started appearing in important places where it rarely did before:
workplace wellbeing programmes
public health campaigns
the media
And perhaps most importantly, sleep is now part of the school curriculum in the UK (since 2020).
However, this means anyone born before roughly 2002 likely never received even basic sleep education at school. And that's the gap in knowledge I will be helping to fill.
Fundamentals First
I often compare my sleep workshops to maths education.
How much of the maths you learned after Year 6 do you actually use day to day?
Probably not much.
I know we spent a term learning Pythagorus theorem, but in all honesty, I've completely forgotten what it even is.
And it's similar with sleep.
For most people, it’s enough to get the basics right:
consistent sleep timing
managing light exposure
reducing stress before bed
creating a comfortable sleep environment
avoiding food too close to bedtime
managing caffeine intake
These things are simple, but incredibly powerful.
That’s why I focus so heavily on these foundations in my workshops.
My hope is that others do the same when speaking to the general public about sleep - emphasising the fundamentals first, and saving more advanced optimisation for the minority who will benefit from it more than it will overwhelm them.
For anyone reading this and wondering where to start improving their sleep:
Start on the list above.
You may find you don’t need anything more than that.
And your brain can finally breathe.
Do reach out if you want some more guidance on them. I have some free resources I can send your way.
Before I go
As a final note, overall, I’m very positive about the “sleep boom”.
We’re currently going through a period of confusion and cultural change. Over time, I expect understanding to improve and new norms to develop, creating a world where good sleep practices become second nature.
I'm very excited for what's to come.
💙