03/13/2026
25 sleep stories. Countless insights. “When we talk about health and wellness, we need to talk about sleep. We talk about exercise, smoking, alcohol, and diet, but we do not talk enough about sleep.” This message from Sarah, a physician living with narcolepsy, perfectly reflects this year’s World Sleep Day theme: Sleep Well, Live Better.
Over the past year, sleep storytellers joined our mission to destigmatize sleep disorders, foster compassion, and inspire decision-makers to prioritize sleep as a public health priority. Many shared their stories using pseudonyms to protect themselves from workplace discrimination and judgment.
We heard powerful experiences from people facing sleep challenges due to narcolepsy, insomnia, sleep-related painful erections, sleep paralysis, sleep apnea, night shift work, menopause, breakups, depression and bipolar disorder. Read all the stories on our website: https://lnkd.in/egdajVw6
We are grateful to our storytellers for their vulnerability in sharing how sleep challenges affect every aspect of their lives and what needs to change to build a better world for those living with sleep disorders. Some key needs that emerged from these stories:
1️⃣ Increase education and awareness about sleep disorders for both healthcare professionals and the public.
2️⃣ Expand the availability of, and awareness about, sleep clinics.
3️⃣ Normalize conversations about sleep disorders and recognize diverse sleep needs.
4️⃣ Increase representation of sleep disorders to develop vocabulary to describe sleep experiences. As Brenda, who lives with sleep paralysis, shared: “It’s really hard to explain. I don’t have the words.” When vocabulary is missing, people often turn to non-medical explanations.
5️⃣ Challenge stigma and stereotypes. One storyteller living with narcolepsy noted how media portrayals still make sleep disorders the “butt of the joke.”
6️⃣ Provide workplace accommodations for people living with invisible disabilities, supporting both well-being and productivity.
7️⃣ Individuals living with narcolepsy, sleep paralysis, and sleep-related painful erections urged for more research.
8️⃣ Ensure night shift workers have access to resources to manage sleep challenges.
9️⃣ Provide transportation options for night shift workers to reduce the risks of drowsy driving.
🔟 Encourage self-advocacy and community support; people should not have to “hit rock bottom” before getting help.
On this World Sleep Day, we are calling for more sleep stories and collaborators to help amplify the message that sleep must be considered in all health policies.
🎥 Watch our video to learn more about our mission and hear from our collaborators: https://lnkd.in/eh6y75jF
Thank you to our passionate team, storytellers for their courage, and to our collaborators, Canadian Sleep Society, Wake Up Narcolepsy, McGill University The Neuro, and the Réseau Sommeil QC Sleep Network for funding this initiative.
