Sleep in Canada

Effects of high sleep stress on health

• Mood and mental health: higher anxiety, depression, irritability, and mood swings.
• Cognition and safety: reduced concentration, memory issues, slower decision-making; greater risk of accidents.
• Immune and metabolic function: weaker immune response; potential weight gain and insulin resistance.
• Cardiovascular risk: higher blood pressure and longer-term heart disease risk.
• Physical symptoms: persistent fatigue, headaches, and sleep fragmentation.

Effects on personal life

• Relationship strain: more conflicts, less patience, poorer communication.
• Parenting and caregiving: lower energy for routines and engagement.
• Social life: withdrawal from friends and activities; reduced motivation for hobbies.
• Self-care: neglect of health routines and personal well-being.

Quick steps to reduce sleep stress

• Keep a consistent sleep-wake schedule; wind down 30–60 minutes before bed; limit caffeine later in the day.
• Make the sleep environment sleep-friendly: dark, cool, quiet; remove or limit screens in the bedroom.
• Manage worry and stress: brief daily worry time, breathing or mindfulness exercises; regular physical activity.
• Seek help if sleep problems persist: consult a clinician; utilize workplace supports (EAP); consider digital programs like October for sleep-focused sessions.

Canada note: Sleep health is part of overall well-being. If persistent, talk to a family doctor or sleep clinic; many employers offer EAP and mental health resources, and October can provide sleep-focused group sessions and content.

Effects of high sleep stress on an economy (Canada-focused)

• Reduced productivity and cognitive performance due to fatigue, slower decision-making, and memory lapses.
• Increased absenteeism and presenteeism, raising labor costs and reducing output.
• Higher risk of workplace accidents and safety incidents, with associated costs (workers’ compensation, downtime, insurance).
• Greater healthcare utilization and long-term health costs from sleep-related conditions (cardiometabolic risk, mental health issues).
• Potential drag on economic growth and competitiveness through lower innovation, job satisfaction, and labor force participation.

Workplace actions for Canadian employers

• Implement fatigue risk management and offer flexible work options to minimize sleep disruption.
• Provide sleep health education and evidence-based programs (e.g., CBT-I group sessions) and normalize seeking help.
• Ensure access to practical mental health resources and a supportive culture; consider digital platforms (like October) to deliver scalable sleep and stress support.

National actions to lower sleep stress (Canada-focused)

• National sleep health strategy: develop and fund guidelines for healthy sleep across ages, run public education campaigns, and expand access to CBT-I and sleep clinics within the public system.

• Reformed work schedules: promote predictable hours, cap excessive overtime, limit consecutive night shifts, and encourage forward-rotating shifts; support employers with sleep-friendly scheduling policies.

• Access to sleep care: ensure coverage or subsidies for evidence-based treatments like CBT-I, expand telemedicine options for sleep disorders, and embed sleep assessments in primary care.

• Environmental sleep quality: strengthen housing and urban policies to reduce noise and light pollution, promote quiet hours, and support insulation and lighting designs that respect circadian health.

• Public education and workplace support: implement sleep hygiene education in schools and offer employer resources for sleep health, including flexible work options and access to digital mental health tools.

• Data, research, and digital tools: invest in national sleep surveillance and research; measure progress on sleep-related health outcomes; scale digital programs (for example, sleep-focused modules or platforms like October) for public or workplace use.

• Sleep-friendly policies: set offline hours (no non-urgent work after hours), minimize late meetings, and protect core sleep time; ensure compliance with Canadian labor standards.

• Flexible scheduling and workload: offer flextime or staggered starts, avoid chronic overtime, and align deadlines with realistic workloads to reduce sleep disruption.

• Sleep-friendly work environment: provide quiet rooms or nap spaces, optimize natural lighting, reduce late-day screens or use blue-light filters, and create low-noise areas.

• Education and resources: deliver sleep hygiene workshops, share evidence-based tips, and offer access to sleep assessments and group sessions (e.g., via October) for employees.

• Manager training and culture: train leaders to recognize sleep-related burnout, model healthy boundaries, and support employees in taking necessary time off without stigma.

• Promote daytime health habits: encourage regular breaks, brief movement, caffeine management (limit after mid-afternoon), and end-of-day wind-down routines to support better sleep.