Canada’s losing sleep—and it’s hitting hard. Studies paint a grim picture: 17.2% of adults clock less than seven hours a night, the bare minimum for health, says the Canadian Sleep Society’s 2020 data. “We’re in a sleep crisis,” warns Amanda Jewson, a sleep therapist and social worker. “One in three Canadians are exhausted. One in four kids miss the 10-12 hours they need.”
The toll’s mounting. Over the past decade, sleep duration has shrunk, and insomnia’s spiked nearly 5%, says Dr. Armin Rahmani, a GTA sleep expert. A third of adults fall short of optimal sleep; 24% battle insomnia’s restless nights. A 2024 Lancet report calls it a public health disaster—90% of U.K. respondents reported sleep woes, tied to cancer, dementia, diabetes, and more. In Canada, insufficient sleep rang up a $502-million tab in 2020, blending $484 million in direct healthcare costs with $18 million in lost productivity.
The culprits? Work stress, blue-light screens, and life’s chaos, Rahmani explains. Disparities bite deeper—marginalized groups, especially lower-income families, fare worse. Kids in poverty are 15% more likely to sleep poorly, Jewson notes, often on floors, sans blankets, in noisy, bright rooms. An Ikea Canada study found 500,000 children lack proper beds, facing 50% more sleep disruptions—up to 20 wake-ups an hour—fueling hyperactivity, flagging grades, and depression.
“There’s no excuse for this in a country like ours,” Jewson says. The Lancet agrees: start young with sleep hygiene to break the cycle. Ikea’s pitching in, donating $300,000 in beds and gear via Furniture Bank. For adults, the Sleep Society’s “Sleep On It” campaign pushes basics—cut caffeine, set a bedtime, move more. Those with insomnia or apnea? See a doctor, stat.
Canada’s awake to the problem—but can it rest easy again?