WELCOME TO... NIGHT SCHOOL
Transport Cher Horowitz into 2019 and she’d probably say something like, “Sleep is the new veganism.” She’d have a point. “People are increasingly considering sleep as an extension of their health, as important as exercise and nutrition,” explains Jessica Smith, creative researcher at trend forecasting agency The Future Laboratory. Just ask Pinterest, which saw a 116 per cent hike in searches for ‘sleep optimisation’ in 2018. The reason zzzs are a pretty big deal around here? Everyone’s so lousy at getting them. Data from the Sleep Health Foundation suggests that 33–45 per cent of Aussies are sleep deprived most nights. And with experts predicting the global sleep and rest industry will be worth $101.9 billion by 2023, the response seems to be throwing a whole lot of dollars at the problem. But while you might be tracking your hours in REM alongside your macros, you’re probably less likely to know you’re aiming for or, let’s be honest, why you’re even doing it in the first place. Happily, the knowledge chasm around sleep is closing, with 15 per cent more studies on the topic published now than five years ago. And, in other good news, we’ve worked our way through them so you don’t have to. Over the next few pages, you’ll find key sleep insights distilled and packaged in a
