Since we were children, we are told to get a good night’s sleep yet over 40% of us struggle with getting to sleep or staying asleep. It might be a stressful day on your mind, too much coffee in the afternoon, a shift change or poor health that’s messing with your ability to rest. You might have tried counting sheep or medications, had sound machines or black out blinds or just decided to turn on the tv instead of tossing and turning. Whatever the reason – many of us struggle with sleep even though we all know deep-down its essential.
World sleep day is March 18th and is organized by World Sleep Society, an international association whose mission is to advance sleep health worldwide. They help educate the population on important questions like:
How does quality sleep help maintain mental health?
How might better sleep help people focus during the day?
Or how might fatigue weigh us down physically, mentally, and emotionally?

So in this episode, we are talking all about sleep and fortunately two very special guests. First, we have a colleague of mine from Memorial University – Dr. Sheila Garland who is a professor of psychology. She is an expert in sleep research and runs the sleep, health, and wellness lab at memorial university. After we speak with Dr. Garland, we chat with Dr. Julie Carrier who is regarded as a leading researcher in sleep at the center for advanced research in sleep medicine at the Universite de Montreal. She is also one of the minds behind the “sleep on it” campaign from the Canadian Sleep society. Together these two experts will help us understand the many reasons why sleep is a foundational pillar of human health and why to function at our best – we need to get enough rest!