When is World Sleep Day?
World Sleep Day 2027 is on Friday
Friday, March 19, 2027
The Friday before the March equinox (World Sleep Society's rule, so the date changes every year; dates after 2026 are worked out from that rule until the society announces them). That's in 153 days.
until World Sleep Day begins, in your time zone
World Sleep Day is an annual awareness day, run by the World Sleep Society, that promotes healthy sleep and calls attention to sleep disorders and their effects on health, safety and daily life.
About World Sleep Day
Sleep specialists started World Sleep Day because they kept meeting the view that sleep is optional, something to cut when life gets busy. The day pushes back on that idea by sharing evidence that good sleep supports physical and mental health, and by encouraging people with ongoing sleep problems, such as insomnia or sleep apnea, to get them assessed. Doctors, sleep clinics, universities and patient groups around the world organize talks, screenings and media campaigns on the day.
The first World Sleep Day took place in 2008. A group of sleep medicine professionals launched it, and its first co-chairs were neurologists Liborio Parrino of Parma University in Italy and Antonio Culebras of Upstate Medical University in New York. It is now hosted by the World Sleep Society, a US-based nonprofit formed by the World Association of Sleep Medicine and the World Sleep Federation, through its World Sleep Day committee.
The society holds the day on the Friday before the March (spring) equinox, so the date moves each year but always lands in mid-March. When the equinox itself falls on a Friday, as it did on March 20, 2026, the day goes to the Friday a week earlier: World Sleep Day 2026 was held on March 13. Each year has a slogan, and the 2026 theme was "Sleep Well, Live Better." The society says it does not endorse any sleep products, even though corporate sponsors help cover the event's costs.
Sources: World Sleep Day (World Sleep Society), World Sleep Day: About and history, World Sleep Society: World Sleep Day, World Sleep Day: Press release 2021. How we check dates.
How to mark World Sleep Day
- Pick a regular bedtime and wake-up time and try to keep them for a week, including the weekend.
- Make your bedroom darker, quieter and cooler, and move phones and other screens out of reach before sleep.
- If you snore loudly, wake up gasping or feel very sleepy during the day, ask your doctor whether a sleep evaluation makes sense.
- Look up drowsy-driving warning signs and pull over to rest if you notice them.
- Attend or share a World Sleep Day talk or event run by a local hospital, sleep clinic or university.
World Sleep Day dates
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Friday, March 14, 2025 |
| 2026 | Friday, March 13, 2026 |
| 2027 | Friday, March 19, 2027 |
| 2028 | Friday, March 17, 2028 |
| 2029 | Friday, March 16, 2029 |
| 2030 | Friday, March 15, 2030 |
| 2031 | Friday, March 14, 2031 |
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Frequently asked questions
When is World Sleep Day 2027?
World Sleep Day 2027 is on Friday, March 19, 2027. It falls on the Friday before the March equinox (World Sleep Society's rule, so the date changes every year; dates after 2026 are worked out from that rule until the society announces them). In 2028, it is on Friday, March 17, 2028.
Why does the date of World Sleep Day change?
The World Sleep Society holds it on the Friday before the March equinox rather than on a fixed date, so it moves between about March 13 and March 19.
Who organizes World Sleep Day?
The World Sleep Society, an international nonprofit for sleep medicine and research, hosts the day through its World Sleep Day committee. It has been held every year since 2008.
Is World Sleep Day a public holiday?
No. World Sleep Day is an observance, not a public holiday, so schools, banks, government offices and most businesses keep their normal hours.