“Make Sleep a Priority”: World Sleep Day 2025
I hope everyone’s midterm season has been smooth and is almost over! (mine ends on the 25th and I currently feel like this:):
As the importance of sleep cannot be overemphasized, I’d like to reiterate again all the health benefits associated with sleep, and discuss some sleep philosophies/fun facts in honour of this year’s World Sleep Day, March 14th, with the theme “Make Sleep a Priority.” (A fitting theme for us students, I’d say!)
Here’s your daily reminder of the effects of lack of sleep:
Less active immune system (and 3 times more likely to catch a cold)
Less appetite control - increase in hunger hormone ghrelin
Aging your brain 3-5 years older (Not good for studying)
Greater risk for depression, anxiety, and irritability
Impaired mood, judgement, and memory
48% increased risk of developing heart disease
Moreover, it is recommended that adults sleep 7-9 hours each night. On top of that, what is lesser known and needs to be talked about more is that women need more sleep than men due to additional factors affecting their sleep. A contributing factor to this is hormonal fluctuations during the entirety of the menstrual cycle, which affect circadian rhythm.
It is also a time to bring awareness to sleep disorders, of which there are over 80 different types. In addition, around 50-70 million people in the United States experience a chronic sleep condition. My fellow committee member Christina draws attention to the importance of listening to patient experiences regarding sleep disorders and the need for better sleep healthcare through a review of the book Sleepyhead by Henry Nicholls (Which can be read here!).
Read up more about World Sleep Day, key messages, and resources (including the Sleep Expo) here!
The first Sleep Expo was held in Vancouver in 2019, and all the presentation can be found on Youtube. These talks touch on a variety of topics regarding sleep, including “How to Know if You Have a Sleep Disorder” and “Women and Sleep: Pregnancy to Menopause.”
Feng Shui, Vastu Shastra, and Earth’s Magnetic Field - Sleep philosophies/Fun facts
Looking for unconventional ways to improve your sleep? Struggling to decide where to put your bed? Various philosophies discuss the best direction in which to sleep and their associated effects!
If you didn’t already know, Earth’s molten iron core, heat, the Coriolis force, and electric currents generate a magnetic field. Some animals and insects, like salmon and turtles, can detect Earth’s magnetic field and use it for navigation and food-finding (that was an oversimplification – if you’re interested, consider reading about paleomagnetism and geomagnetism). A 2016 article, for example, shows that Honeybees have iron granules in their abdomens, which act as magnetoreceptors. These help them locate food sources and return to their hives. These help them locate food sources and return to their hives. But can humans also detect this magnetic field? Studies suggest that it is possible (read more here). Some believe that sleeping with your head towards the North Pole affects the iron in your blood, putting pressure on the brain and causing poor sleep. It’s suggested that your head should face south in the Northern Hemisphere and north in the Southern Hemisphere. Reinforcing this, a 2008 study even found that cattle and roe deer graze and rest in a north-south alignment. Feng Shui, an ancient Chinese philosophy, builds on theories regarding Earth’s magnetic field. Sleeping facing south is believed to promote chi, or positive energy flow. Similarly, Vastu Shastra, an ancient Indian system, also suggests avoiding sleeping facing north!
Why are most airplane seats blue?
According to colour psychology, Blue creates feelings of tranquility and relaxation. Consider adding blue elements to your sleeping arrangements to feel calm!
No matter what you believe in, I encourage everyone to take care of themselves as we enter the final stretch of the 2024/2025 winter session. Wishing everyone sweet dreams and stress-free sleep!
By Chloe Wang (she/her/hers) | Blog Committee Member
Works Cited
AL‐Ayash, A. (2016). The influence of color on student emotion, heart rate, and performance in learning environments.Color Research and Application, 41(2), 196-205. https://doi.org/10.1002/col.21949
Begall, S., Cerveny, J., Neef, J., Vojtech, O., & Burda, H. (2008). Magnetic alignment in grazing and resting cattle and deer. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 105(36), 13451–13455. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0803650105
Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Sleep Medicine and Research. (2006). Sleep disorders and sleep deprivation: An unmet public health problem (H. R. Colten & B. M. Altevogt, Eds.). National Academies Press. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK19961/
Layne, T. (2023, May 17). What’s the Best Direction to Sleep In?. Sleep Enlightened. https://www.saatva.com/blog/best-direction-to-sleep/#:~:text=Feng%20shui%20and%20vastu%20shastra,of%20positive%20energy%2C%20or%20chi.
Liang, C.-H., Chuang, C.-L., Jiang, J.-A., & Yang, E.-C. (2016). Magnetic Sensing through the Abdomen of the Honey bee. Scientific Reports, 6(1), 23657. doi:10.1038/srep23657
NASA Science Editorial Team. (2021, August 3). Earth’s Magnetosphere: Protecting Our Planet from Harmful Space Energy. NASA. https://science.nasa.gov/science-research/earth-science/earths-magnetosphere-protecting-our-planet-from-harmful-space-energy/#:~:text=Illustration%20of%20the%20dynamo%20mechanism,which%20generate%20th
Servick, K. (2019, March 18). Humans—like other animals—may sense Earth's magnetic field. Science. https://www.science.org/content/article/humans-other-animals-may-sense-earth-s-magnetic-field
Sleep Disorders. (2024, April 26). MedlinePlus. https://medlineplus.gov/sleepdisorders.html#:~:text=There%20are%20more%20than%2080,the%20most%20common%20sleep%20disorder.
Summer, J. V., & Guo, L. (2024, February 27). Which Direction is Best to Sleep in?. Sleep Foundation. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleeping-positions/best-direction-to-sleep#references-81695
The Effects of Sleep Deprivation. (n.d.). Johns Hopkins Medicine. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-effects-of-sleep-deprivation
The Times of India. (2024, February 17). Vastu guidelines for the perfect bathroom placement in apartments. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/astrology/vastu-feng-shui/vastu-guidelines-for-the-perfect-bathroom-placement-in-apartments/articleshow/107360670.cms
Why Sleep Matters: Consequences of Sleep Deficiency. (2021, October 1). Division of Sleep Medicine: Harvard Medical School. https://sleep.hms.harvard.edu/education-training/public-education/sleep-and-health-education-program/sleep-health-education-45
Why Women Need To Sleep More Than Men. (2024, November 15). Cleveland Clinic. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/why-women-need-more-sleep
