Sleep Awareness Week 2023

March 16, 2023

Sleep Awareness Week 2023

It has been twenty-five years now that the National Sleep Foundation has brought knowledge of Sleep Awareness Week®. Due to daylight savings time, it is encouraged to change your sleep routine so you can sleep better. Sleep is crucial for your physical and mental health. The body cannot function well without sleep. Sleep helps the brain to function healthy and it allows you to work better.

Courtesy Image from the National Sleep Foundation

Since 1998 the National Sleep Foundation has made Sleep Awareness Week® an annual occasion to take into account the importance of sleep. You can promote Sleep Awareness Week on social media by using the hashtags, # SleepAwarenessWeek and #BestSleptSelf, and #TheNSF. It is recommended to change your bedroom sheets, pillowcases, and other items according to the changes of the seasons. During the winter season, layer your bed with heavy thick cotton blankets, cotton pillowcases, and mattress covers. While in the spring and summer seasons, you can change your blankets to a lighter fabric that makes you sweat less such as linen, microfiber, bamboo, or a mixed fabric of cotton with polyester.

In addition, you can use silk which is helpful for allergies and does not damage your hair. Sweating is a common issue when it comes to sleeping at night, especially during the summer season, menopause, or hot flashes caused by medications. Use colors that help you sleep such as blue, yellow, orange, pink, beige, green, or a lighter color of gray. The most popular color for a bedroom is blue because it is associated with feelings of calmness and it is a cool color in the color spectrum. Yet, learn how to use one or two colors to make your room inviting for sleep.

Cellular phones are another issue when it comes to sleep. Sometimes cell phones ring in the middle of the night due to spam phone calls, spam text messages, or a friend that can not sleep. It is recommended that cell phones are in silent mode or vibrate mode depending on your preference. Emergency calls are inevitable, but it is a rare occurrence. Text messaging at midnight is not a good habit to do no matter who you are texting at that hour.

Make boundaries with your friends and family members and let them know that you need your sleep. It is great to socialize but have a time frame for text messaging. Sleep deprivation during work hours makes anyone feel miserable. Explain your reasons for not text messaging at night so you can function well the next day. Here are more resources about getting better sleep.

National Sleep Foundation:

Sleep Awareness Week® 2023 - National Sleep Foundation (thensf.org)

Twelve Simple Tips to Improve Your Sleep-Healthy Sleep-Harvard Education:

Twelve Simple Tips to Improve Your Sleep | Healthy Sleep (harvard.edu)

Sleep Tips: 6 Steps to Better Sleep-Mayo Clinic:

Sleep tips: 6 steps to better sleep - Mayo Clinic

7 Bedroom Colors that Help You Sleep Better-Color Meanings:

7 Bedroom Colors That Help You Sleep Better - Color Meanings (color-meanings.com)