World Sleep Day Resources

If you're looking for a new theme that is a little different to spruce up your library for late winter, we modestly propose a celebration of World Sleep Day. This fairly new commemorative day was established in 2008 by the nonprofit World Sleep Society and will be on March 15, 2019.

The pace and distractions of modern life have caused a sleep deprivation epidemic. The CDC estimates that it now affects a third of U.S. adults and nearly all teenagers. Sleep deprivation impairs emotional stability and is associated with a shorter lifespan and an increased risk of several health conditions, including heart disease, type two diabetes, and cancer.

Here are some resources for an awareness campaign.

Free Posters

• Sleep Education for School has a nice free downloadable general poster (PDF) plus plenty of other images geared to K-12 children, including a Healthy Sleep Duration Chart (PDF).
• Anatomy Stuff from the U.K. has five free sleep posters that you can download including their 10 Tips for Better Sleep.
• Sleep Education.org hosts a fun free Healthy Sleep Duration poster for people of all ages.
• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration hosts six free posters about the consequences of drowsy driving and how sleep can improve your quality of life, along with actionable tips on improving the quality of sleep.

Official World Sleep Society Resources

• World Sleep Day Share Sheet — this is a one-page World Sleep Day flyer with an explanation and overview of the annual awareness event.
• Media Toolkit has key messages, facts on the extent of the epidemic, and the history of World Sleep Day.
• 10 Commandments of Sleep Hygiene for Adults
• 10 Commandments for Children
• Sleep Apnea Education
• Environmental Conditions That Impact Sleep
• Submit Your Activity — if you would like to be listed on the World Sleep Day website

News and Research on Sleep

• Sleep Better.org's Sleep in the News
• What's Your Zzzz Score?
• Science Daily's Sleep Disorder Research News
• Science Direct's Sleep and Dream Studies: Current State of the Art
• CDC's data and statistics on sleep and sleep disorders

Sleep-Related or Sleep-Inducing Books

• Parents Magazine Sweet Dream Reads: The 11 Best Bedtime Books
• Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems by Richard Ferber
• Dr. Seuss's Sleep Book by Dr. Seuss
• The Sleep Book: How to Sleep Well Every Night by Dr. Guy Meadows
• Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker
• Only to Sleep: A Philip Marlowe Novel by Lawrence Osborne and Raymond Chandler
• The Most Boring Book Ever Written by Rudolf Kerkhoven and Daniel Pitts
• The Encyclopedia Logic: Encyclopedia of the Philosophical Sciences by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

Image: MAHATHIR MOHD YASIN / Shutterstock