Approximately 350 people laid down to take a nap on Friday in the middle of one of the noisiest and busiest cities in the world.
How many actually drifted off wasn’t known, but the World Sleep Day event next to the Monument to the Revolution in Mexico City was the first of its kind in the world according to Mexican media reports.
🥱En el Monumento a la Revolución se lleva a cabo una siesta masiva por el derecho al descanso.
📹Bernardo Uribe pic.twitter.com/nDaN2owXrX— CIUDAD (@reformaciudad) March 15, 2024
World Sleep Day, which began in 2008, is commemorated every year on the Friday before the spring equinox of the Northern Hemisphere. Its slogan this year was “’Sleep Equity for Global Health.”
Held from 5 to 6:30 p.m., the event was “a peaceful demonstration for our right to rest,” said Javier Velázquez Moctezuma, the director of the Sleep and Neuroscience Center (CSN). “The cheapest medicine that exists is to sleep well,” he added.
“A person who sleeps well makes better decisions, is healthier and has less risk of physical and mental illnesses,” pointed out Dr. Guadalupe Terán Pérez, a sleep expert and CSN researcher. “On many occasions, the work schedules we have, the commutes we make [and] living in a globalized society do not allow us to guarantee this right.”
The independently-organized event also included a guided meditation and talks about the value of sleep, with tips on how to sleep better.
In the end, people were given only about 20 minutes for their nap, according to the newspaper La Jornada. Pre-registration was required to participate, and blue yoga mats, sleeping masks and travel pillows were provided.
According to the World Health Organization, around 40% of the world’s population experiences sleep disorders, the most common being insomnia.
The experts at the event said babies should sleep around 18 hours a day, children 10-12 hours, adolescents 8-9 hours and adults 7-8 hours.
In addition, the footrace “Corre por tus Sueños” (Run for your Dreams) was held on Sunday in the Bosque de Tlalpan National Park south of CDMX. Its aim was to support patients with sleep disorders who need specialized treatment.
If you happened to, uh, sleep through this year’s World Sleep Day, mark down your calendars for 2025, when it is scheduled for March 14.
With reports from La Jornada and El Financiero
