Sleep Science Many of us may know that eight hours is generally accepted as an ideal sleep duration , and poor sleep is tied to reduced cognitive function . But did you know that people who sleep between seven and eight hours live longest ? Or that evidence suggests that poor sleep creates inflammation that can contribute to diabetes , heart disease and some cancers ? Or that more than one-third of all U . S . adults ( 35.2 percent ) report sleeping less than seven hours per night ?*
The cost of lost sleep is indeed high , both in terms of people ’ s health and in a financial sense . The National Center for Biotechnology Information estimates that insufficient sleep has an estimated economic impact of more than $ 400 billion dollars each year in the U . S . alone , while the U . S . Centers for Disease Control says that drowsy driving is responsible for more than 6,000 fatal car crashes in the U . S . each year . Four in ten people with insomnia are also believed to suffer from a mental health disorder . Three quarters of adults with depression suffer from insomnia as well .
Given these grim statistics , it would be natural to wonder why people don ’ t do more to improve their sleep , but the reality is that they seem to be trying desperately to do exactly that . CDC data reveals that just under one in 10 adults ( 8.2 percent ) take medication to help them sleep
“ We ’ re just starting to get the message out that tending to your sleep quality is one of those things that we should do every day , just like we brush our teeth .”
at least four times per week . Moreover , 20 percent of American adults tried a natural sleep remedy in the past year , and more than a quarter ( 28.2 percent ) say that they have used a smartphone app to help track their sleep . People are trying to improve their sleep ; it ’ s just that those efforts seem not to be working .
Figures like those above are causing sleep to become the focus of so much conversation around health and wellness in our culture and leading more spas and resource partners to develop programs , products and treatments to address guests ’ sleep issues . According to ISPA Medical Advisor Dr . Brent Bauer of the Mayo Clinic , that shift in focus can ’ t happen soon enough : “ Most Americans have probably heard the idea that daily exercise is really good . We ’ re just starting to get the message out that tending to your sleep quality is one of those things that we should do every day , just like we brush our teeth . I think the spa is increasingly being seen as a place where we can do that .”
— DR . BRENT BAUER
Play to Your Strengths To Dr . Bauer ’ s point , longtime spa industry consultant Amy McDonald is working with multiple spas and resource partner brands eager to bring sleep-centered packages and products into the spa and hospitality space . The good news is that there is no shortage of ways to integrate sleep-specific offerings at spas , even without having to create new treatments or purchase additional equipment .“ There is so much opportunity ,” McDonald says .
One spa McDonald advises is located in a remote spot that often causes guests to comment on the property ’ s sense of quiet and solitude . Seeking to create a relaxing and intimate sleep package for the couples who make up a significant portion of their spa and hotel guests . The spa prepared a small package that included guided yoga instruction , a sleep-specific meditation , a bath soak , a soothing pillow mist and a blackout eye mask . The end result is
* Suni , E ., & Truong , K . ( 2021 , November 12 ). Sleep statistics - Facts and Data About Sleep 2021 . Sleep Foundation . Retrieved December 9 , 2021 , from https :// www . sleepfoundation . org / how-sleep-works / sleep-facts-statistics .
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