Have we become too obsessed with “perfect sleep”?

[PetsNPaws]

Lately I’ve noticed that everywhere I look — social media, podcasts, even parenting groups — people are talking about sleep as if it’s the ultimate measure of health and happiness. There are fancy sleep masks, silk bedding, sprays, supplements, blue-light glasses, and apps all promising “transformational rest.”
Don’t get me wrong, I completely understand the importance of sleep (I have two kids under 8, so I dream of uninterrupted rest). But part of me wonders if we’ve gone a bit overboard. Humans have always had bad nights of sleep — it’s part of life — yet now it feels like we’re being told that every bit of tiredness means we’re “failing” at self-care.
I recently spoke to a friend who spent nearly £200 on various “sleep wellness” products, and she swears it’s changed her life. But I can’t tell if she’s genuinely sleeping better or just convinced herself it was worth the money.
Has anyone else noticed this trend?

I think sleep is under rated and it's more important than we think. I'm convinced my pnd was caused by pure tiredness.

I agree.

Sleep is very important but it is, like various other issues, being used as an opportunity for the bonkers and exploitative wellness industry.

The money people will spend once a “must have” product is manipulatively and masterfully marketed is beyond belief so of course it is a growing sector.

At best people lose money, at worst they damage their health by believing and following highly selective and misleading advice.

The wellness sector is the wild west, full of snake oil peddlers.

I am glad to be a determined sceptic. I want to see clinical evidence and the support of recognised professional bodies before I accept anything I am being told or part with my cash.

It’s another social media way to make some people feel less than.
If you don’t have a life where you can create a perfect clean sleep environment and schedule then it’s another way you are a failure.

“oh you haven’t got a dark, silent bedroom, at a perfect temperature, with no worries or stresses, and a lifestyle that allows you 7-9 perfect rhythmic sleep in organic Egyptian cotton bedding?”
Oh dear that’s a shame, well that means your brain cannot flush out the toxins and you are much more at risk of dementia whereas my brain will function perfectly forever.

Will it matter? We all have increasing microplastics in our bodies and brains, they are in soil, air, tap and bottled water, there is really no escape now. Although I expect this to be a social media “are you limiting your microplastics” perfection model anytime now.

If you listen to the sleep scientists they say “it’s not as simple as that, if you don’t feel tired, can get out of bed, the amount of sleep you need varies a lot between individuals”
They also say sleep tracking watches can make things much worse.

It is another social media further bollocks.

Agreed. If I wake at 5.30 and get up I definitely feel worse than if I lie in the dark with my eyes closed for another hour or so. The rest makes a difference for sure