Share Your Sleep Story

“When I was in school, I would get up to ten sleep attacks per day. I would get episodes of very sudden sleepiness, very sudden brain fog and fatigue, which is impossible to fight. [It is] a state of half-awake and half-asleep. I don’t know what’s going on. I’m not alert, but I’m not asleep either.” – Sofia

“When you haven’t slept for 2-3 days, it is very unsettling to go to bed. I was worried about sleeping. I wasn’t really living. I was just exhausted. I was getting paranoid. I was desperate to sleep, but I just couldn’t.” – Janet

“I don’t see much literature on driving home after dayshift. You are working 12 hours in a stressful situation; you haven’t slept well, and your circadian rhythm is messed up. It’s difficult to drive home even if it is during regular hours.” – Norah, a nursing graduate

When policymakers and employers fail to acknowledge the importance of rest, they contribute to burnout, health risks, and safety hazards. By implementing smarter shift schedules, caregiver support, workplace education and resources, we can create a culture that values sleep as a fundamental human right.

“Even if we decide to sleep during the day to be able to work at night, it is very hard. It is very hard to say ‘no’ EVERY TIME- not to go out and not follow others when everyone else is enjoying because you must sleep.” – Josée Gobeil, a nightshift nurse

“Sleep fascinates me. The more I learned, the more I understood the magnificent things that the brain does when we are sleeping” – Maria, an Occupational Therapist.