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World Sleep Day 2026
Sleep Well, Live Better
Taking place on the 13th of March, World Sleep Day is an annual opportunity to highlight the importance of sleep health. This year’s theme ‘Sleep Well, Live Better’ draws attention to sleep health being the foundation of physical and mental health. As a health and care professional, having a good sleep routine ensures that you can administer high quality treatment in a safe manner.
Unfortunately, health and care professionals are no stranger to long working hours, night shifts, and experiencing a general sense of fatigue. In the last 12 months, 66% of patients registering with Practitioner Health had trouble staying asleep or sleeping too much nearly every day.
Shift work, on‑call duties, long clinics, emotional intensity, and medicolegal worries can all take a toll on your circadian rhythm and restorative sleep. Many staff report finding themselves “tired but wired” - exhausted during the day yet are mentally alert and unable to sleep at night replaying consultations, the events of the day, or anticipating the next shift.
Over time, ongoing sleep disruption can affect concentration, empathy, decision making, and overall clinical performance. It also increases vulnerability to mental health problems. Within a culture that often equates endurance with professionalism, sleep problems are easily overlooked until wellbeing or performance noticeably declines. World Sleep Day is a timely reminder that sleep is important for both staff wellbeing and patient safety. Whilst medication can sometimes provide short term relief for sleep problems, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT‑I) is generally a more effective and practical treatmentin the longer term. Some measures include keeping a regular wake‑up time where possible, allowing a wind‑down period before bed, limiting late‑evening activities which will keep you mentally stimulated, and making sure that the bedroom is only used for sleep, intimacy and changing clothes. Managing light exposure (bright in the morning, dim in the evening) can also be helpful.
At Practitioner Health, our expert therapists and clinicians have a deep understanding of this all-too-common experience. Many of our team members have worked within primary and secondary care and utilise their lived experience to produce a treatment plan that considers the unique struggles that health and care professionals face.
Burnout and fatigue shouldn’t be commonplace within the health and care profession. If you are experiencing poor sleep health as a result of mental ill health or addiction issues, and cannot access confidential treatment from local services, Practitioner Health may be right for you.
If you are unable to access our service, support from your GP, occupational health, or your local talking therapies service can help to address the underlying issues of your poor sleep health.
There are also a variety of resources, programmes, and apps that are designed to help health and care professionals improve their sleep health:
Sleep Resources for Health and Care Professionals
Association of Anaesthetists: Fight Fatigue Campaign
A variety of resources surrounding fatigue including changing workplace culture, useful tips to aid sleep, fighting fatigue, tips for nights shifts, and more.
Sleepio & NHS: A Guide to Good Sleep for Health and Social Care Professionals
Short guide containing tips on getting a good sleep as a health or social care professional.
Sleep, Breaks and Wellbeing for Health Professionals – Royal Paediatrics and Child Health
Comprehensive guide for health and care professionals written by Dr Mike Farquhar, Consultant in Sleep Medicine Evelina London Children’s Hospital. This guide discusses patient safety, personal safety, driving tired, advice for preparing, working, and recovering after night shifts, and advice for employers.
Fatigue and Sleep Deprivation – The BMA
Comprehensive guide including information about the BMA Fatigue and Facilities charter, the impact of fatigue on doctors and patients, factors increasing the risk of fatigue, and guidance for health and care professionals on managing the risks associated with fatigue.
Working the Night Shift: Preparation, Survival and Recovery – Royal College of Physicians
Free guide that provides advice on how to prepare before night shifts, staying alert and refreshed whilst on duty, and recovering afterwards.
The Sleep Charity
Useful advice and guidance to patients who are not sleeping well and for parents who have trouble with their children sleeping.
Programmes & Apps for Improved Sleep
Sleepful
Free sleep management programme based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) developed through a series of publicly funded research studies and clinical trials in the UK.
Calm App
Calm is a mental health app for stress reduction, sleep, and meditation. The app includes over 500+ sleep stories, soundscapes, and guided sleep meditations to aid sleep. In collaboration with the Blue Light Card, health and care professionals have access to a 1-month free trial and 50% off the first year of Calm Premium.
Headspace
Headspace is a meditation, mindfulness, and sleep app. The app includes guided meditations, wind downs, sleep music, soundscapes, and sleepcasts to help you fall asleep.
If you feel “tired but wired”
When work is busy or stressful, it can be hard for your mind to switch off at night.
Creating a clear end-of-day routine can help signal to your brain that the working day has finished.
Try a “going home” checklist before leaving work.
This can help prevent your brain replaying work or worrying about what you may have forgotten.
Create a regular wind-down routine in the evening.
Simple activities such as dimming lights, limiting screens, stretching, taking a warm shower, or listening to calming music can help your body move from alert mode into rest mode.
It can also help to avoid checking work messages or emails late in the evening, and to give yourself a short period of transition between work and home life where possible.
Small, consistent routines can help your nervous system settle and make it easier to fall asleep.
How poor sleep can affect you
Ongoing sleep disruption may affect:
- concentration and memory
- decision making
- emotional regulation and empathy
- physical health and immunity
- mental wellbeing and resilience
Within healthcare culture, tiredness can sometimes feel like part of the job. Because of this, sleep problems are often overlooked until wellbeing or performance noticeably decline.
Quick sleep tips
Small changes to your routine can help your brain and body prepare for sleep.
- Create a “screen sunset”
- Reduce phone, tablet and computer use 1–2 hours before bed. Screens emit blue light which can suppress melatonin.
- Dim the lights in the evening
- Lower lighting levels after sunset. Warm lighting such as lamps, candles or amber bulbs can help signal that it is time to wind down.
- Consider blue-light blocking glasses
- If you need to use screens in the evening, blue-light blocking glasses after around 8pm may help.
- Take a warm bath or shower
- A warm bath or shower 60–90 minutes before sleep can help prepare the body for rest.
- Limit caffeine after mid-morning
- Caffeine can remain in your system for around 12 hours. Try to avoid coffee and energy drinks after late morning or midday.
- Keep a regular wake-up time
- Waking at roughly the same time each day helps stabilise your body clock.
- Get natural light early in the day
- Even 10–20 minutes of morning daylight can help regulate sleep patterns.
- Keep your bedroom cool, dark and quiet
- Evidence shows most people sleep best in a cool room (around 16–19°C). A cooler environment helps signal the body that it is time for sleep.
- Use your bed mainly for sleep
- Keep your bed for sleep and intimacy only. If you cannot sleep after about 20 minutes, get up and do something calm in low light.
Tips for night shift and rotating shift workers
Tips for night shift and rotating shift workers
- Use light to manage your body clock
- Get bright light during night shifts to stay alert
- Wear sunglasses when travelling home to reduce morning light exposure
- Create a dark sleep environment
- Use blackout curtains, eye masks or white noise to protect daytime sleep.
- Protect your sleep window
- Aim for a regular protected sleep period after night shifts, and let others know this is your rest time.
- Consider a pre-shift nap
- A 20–90 minute nap in the late afternoon or evening may reduce fatigue during the shift.
- Eat lighter meals overnight
- Heavy meals can disrupt digestion and sleep. Try lighter meals and good hydration.
Micro-recovery during busy clinical days
Long clinics and emotionally demanding work can leave little time to recover during the day.
Even very short breaks can help reset your nervous system and improve focus.
Try small recovery moments
- Step outside for daylight 5–10 minutes of fresh air and daylight can improve alertness.
- Take a movement break Stretching or a short walk can reduce tension and fatigue.
- Slow your breathing Try breathing in for 4 seconds and out for 6 seconds to calm the stress response.
- Drink water and eat regularly Dehydration and low blood sugar can worsen fatigue.
- Pause briefly between consultations Even 30–60 seconds to reset can help maintain focus.
- Consider a short nap when safe A 10–20 minute nap before a night shift or during long on-call periods can improve alertness.
- In healthcare culture it can feel difficult to pause. But small recovery moments help support safe, compassionate care for both patients and staff.
Podcasts
Surgeon Fatigue and Lessons Learned from a 4-Day Week – Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
Podcast episode featuring Dr Dale Whelehan, behaviour scientist who completed a PhD exploring the impact of fatigue and sleep deprivation in health and care professionals, particularly surgeons.
Importance of Sleep – Shift Work, Fatigue, and Burnout - Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
Discussion with Dr Michael Farquhar, Consultant in Sleep Medicine Evelina London Children’s Hospital, about the relationship between shift work, fatigue, and burnout in health and care professionals.
Contact
NHS Practitioner Health
Riverside Medical Centre
Hobart House
St George Wharf
London
SW8 2JB
Telephone: 0300 0303 300
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