Daylight saving time starts tomorrow! In exchange for not seeing the sun after work until spring, you’ll get an extra hour of sleep—odds are, that’s something you desperately need.
Driving the news: Half of all Canadians (over 19 million people) struggle to get a good night’s sleep, according to new research by the Royal Ottawa Institute of Mental Health.
- Blame it on COVID. The stress of the pandemic kept people tossing and turning and was replaced by the economic and geopolitical anxieties that came up shortly after.
Why it matters: When Canadians lose Zzzs, the economy loses $$$s. A 2016 study found that Canada loses US$21.4 billion annually in lost productivity due to poor sleep.
- Sleep-related health issues are also an economic drag—a study by the National Sleep Foundation found bad sleep cost the healthcare system $502 million in 2020.
- Plus, our brains and bodies need sleep. Not enough hours of rest have been linked to problems from heart disease to depression and even shortened lifespans.
What’s next: Earlier this year, the government invested $3.8 million into sleep health and insomnia programs aimed at mobilizing research results to improve Canadians’ sleep.
For now, catch us desperately trying to cut off the doom-scrolling by 9:00 PM and popping melatonin gummies like they’re leftover Halloween candy.