When Did Sleeping Become a Skill?
The pandemic has heightened the usual stresses of our lives and, as a result, is taking its toll on how we sleep.
According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, 50% of adults have trouble going to sleep or staying asleep, 1 in 5 don’t find their sleep restorative and a third have difficulty staying awake in waking hours. What’s more, women in particular are increasingly susceptible to insomnia, in part because of hormonal imbalances and the increased pressure to juggle family and work-from-home responsibilities.
Envello has always been committed to ensuring the best sleep possible, and while we fully endorse our lifestyle approach to quality downtime – eating well, exercising, a restful bedroom – we’re digging deeper into the growing and fascinating trend of sleep wellness.
Podcasts
Sleep better podcasts range from soothing sounds, hypnosis and softly spoken positive messages to bedtime stories. “Sleep Cove,” the wildly popular podcast founded by hypnotherapist Christopher Fitton, has over 15 million downloads and more than 70% of its listeners are women. Fitton believes this is because while women may struggle more than men to sleep, they’re also more open to giving hypnosis a chance. There truly is a podcast for everyone and travel lovers should note one of our faves: “Slow Radio.” Look for it on BBC Radio 3 if you’d like to drift away to “the soporific sounds of mid-afternoon in the late-spring pastures of the Pyrenees.”
Workshops
This format tailors its offerings to target audiences. For instance, the University of Toronto offers a Sleep Well Workshop where clinicians conduct 1.5-hour sleep-better sessions geared to stressed out students, while Better Bedtime, a Waterloo, Ontario-based group of sleep consultants, specializes in workshops for businesses (it estimates that each tired team member costs organizations an average of $2,280 a year in lost productivity!). Workshop options abound, but these two in particular highlight just how pervasive sleep issues are, affecting everyone from students to executives.
Live Streamed Classes
Soft narration and visualizing dream destinations aren’t the only reasons live streamed classes like “Wave Sleep” are so popular. Registering for a live class has a range of benefits: participants have recognized their sleep issues and made a commitment to better them; they feel compelled to participate in the specific session they’ve signed up for; and, once in “class", they become part of a community which creates a sense of belonging, a much-needed feeling right now. It’s also reassuring in socially distanced times, to have a real live expert as a guide, even if it is within a virtual framework.
We know envello subscribers are pretty savvy when it comes to sleep, but in times like this, everyone needs a bit of extra support. The latest trends in sleep wellness offer that and resonate with our mission statement of making the world a happier place, one sleep at a time.
We’d love to know – what sleep wellness trends appeal to you?