Mark your calendars! Sleep Week 2023 will be held from Monday September 25 to Sunday October 1 when Daylight Saving Time once again commences.
Sleep Week 2022
This year we launched the first Australia-only Sleep Week which will ran from Monday 26th of September – Sunday 2nd of October in the lead up to Daylight Savings Time.
Adequate amounts of sleep are an essential part of our health, productivity, performance and overall wellbeing. Sleep Week shines the spotlight on sleep, which is often overlooked as a health and lifestyle factor, to promote the importance of sleep via education and awareness.
Below is a breakdown of our activities for the week. Any further questions or queries can be directed to
Monday 26th of September
Burnout, fatigue and rest in the COVID era
2022's Sleep Week was kicked off with a focus on fatigue and burnout, the importance of rest, and how to manage life post-COVID.
We encourage workplaces, schools and businesses to set aside an additional 20 mins during their day to allow students and employees to take a communal break. Whether they need a moment to relax with a cup of tea, step away from their electronic devices for a while, or take a short (WFH) power nap, this allocated 20 mins gives them the chance to rest without any guilt. You may be surprised by the power of the rest period and/or the powernap.
We are currently in the process of finalising a Fact Sheet specifically relating to burnout.
Tuesday 27th of September
Sleep Seminar Series Launch
Tuesday was the exciting launch of our inaugural virtual, free and public Sleep Seminar Series. The Sleep Series will take place monthly, with each meeting focusing on a different sleep topic. This program is part of our aim to help educate and raise awareness about the importance and impacts of sleep.
Our first seminar was hosted by Prof Greg Murray (facilitated by Sleep Health Foundation CEO, Dr Moira Junge), as he introduced the series with a discussion about the "The Role of Sleep in Mental and Physical Health" and to manage Daylight Saving.
You can watch the recorded webinar via our YouTube channel here.
Wednesday 28th September
Wind-Down Wednesday
This was our “Wind-Down Wednesday” where we put the spotlight on the pre-bed period. This theme aimed to help you develop a personalised pre-sleep routine to maximise your sleep. Exercising, computer games and TV on a hand-held device can run the risk of disturbing sleep if too close to bedtime, or too intense.
Read more about how technology can impact our sleep by reading our Fact Sheet here.
Thursday 29th September
Emerging Sleep Hero Awards
On Thursday 29th of September we celebrated the Sleep Health Foundation’s third annual Emerging Sleep Hero Awards. This event recognised the incredible efforts our five finalists, who demonstrated how their research can positively impact the sleep field and the wider community. Congratulations to Samantha Bramich for being named 2022's Emerging Sleep Hero!
You can view her winning presentation here.
Friday 30th September
Sleep and Mental Health
Sleep plays a key role in good mental health. People experiencing a mental health condition are more likely to have sleeping difficulties. The good news is that improving sleep often reduces the severity of mental health problems. Getting better sleep is also a great strategy for helping to prevent mental health problems from developing, or reducing the chances of a relapse. There are effective, evidence-based ways to improve sleep, and these should be part of treatment plans to help mental health.
During Sleep Week, the Foundation held a free webinar facilitated by our CEO, Dr Moira Junge in which we engaged in a conversation with Dr Mike Millard, Dr Elizbeth Mason and Dr Melinda Jackson to get their perspectives on sleep and mental health. Between them they have research, clinical and digital tool development experience and expertise within the field of mental health and sleep.
The recorded webinar is available on our YouTube channel and can be viewed here.
Saturday 1st of October
Executive Sleep Challenge
We are encouraging invited CEOs and Senior Executives within our network to undertake the Sleep Health Foundation's Inaugural Executive Sleep Challenge. This is a pilot activity for us that we’re anticipating will have some positive outcomes on participants’ sleep and overall wellbeing. We will launch a larger event in the following years on the basis of the learnings from this first program.
Sleep is vital for optimal importance, and when sleep is prioritised at the highest level within the workplace productivity improves. Not only this, but sleep is important for physical and mental health. Individuals who have healthy sleep are less likely to become unwell (and therefore take less sick days) and are likely to be happier (improved mental health) and the benefits include being better leader and having better staff retention.
Participants will choose one aspect of their sleep that they wish to improve and will establish a sleep goal and will commit to this for a period of 1 month. Over the course of the month, participants will track their sleep and sleepiness/burnout/fatigue to see how this may change. It’s expected that at the end of the month, there will be improvements to sleep, daytime productivity, mood and health.
Sunday 2nd of October
Daylight Savings starts
On Sunday October 2nd at 2am, clocks were turned forward one hour to 3am, meaning a loss of one hour. Sunrise and sunset are about 1 hour later than the day before. There will be less light in the mornings initially and it will be lighter in the evenings.
Read more about how to adjust to Daylight Saving by reading our Fact Sheet here.