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Published 14:45 IST, March 19th 2021

World Sleep Day 2021 theme, history and significance you need to know about

World Sleep Day 2021 attempts to spread awareness about the benefits of sleep and how it is connected to health with the help of a theme. Read on.

Reported by: Sanjana Kalyanpur
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World Sleep Day is an annual event that is typically celebrated on the third Friday of March. This year, World Sleep Day comes up on March 19. In many parts of the world, the act of sleeping or taking rest is often not taken seriously and is in fact seen as a privilege rather than a necessity. People don't realise the adverse effects a lack of sleep causes until it's very late. To reinforce the idea of resting, World Sleep Day was recognised as an important event since the year 2008 and has been celebrated ever since.

World Sleep Day 2021 Theme

National events used for creating awareness are typically associated with themes that change every year. This year, World Sleep Day is accompanied by the theme, "Regular Sleep, Healthy Future" which itself speaks volumes about the importance of sleep. The idea behind the 2021 theme is to educate people about how health is connected to sleep. Doctors recommend 8 hours of sleep as it is during that time that the body goes into repair mode while the mind gets rid of daytime stress.

Getting adequate sleep also helps prevent health conditions like heart disease, weight gain as well as accelerate brain function. Many brands are taking part in disseminating information about this event in accordance with the theme with the aim of educating their audience. Some are even making memes out of it to keep the event more entertaining and memorable.

World Sleep Day History and Significance

The World Sleep Society was vital for the creation of the popular event. A group of health professionals who were researching in the area of sleep medicine planned this PR initiative in 2008 to spread awareness on the same. According to Days of the Year, Dr Liborio Parrino, MD and Dr Antonio Culebras, MD were the first co-chair members of the World Sleep Society, which is a non-profit organisation that helps fund research on sleep problems, and were the masterminds behind the event that is widely celebrated today.

Now more than ever, people need to recognise the benefits of sleep as the fast-paced world that they're used to today provides anything but that. People often glorify stress and associate it with success as though sleep is a form of hindrance on the way to it. It is important to disassociate with this type of mindset and educate ourselves about common practices to healthy living instead.

Updated 14:45 IST, March 19th 2021