Ever heard of a situation where you win a prize only for sleeping? That too to a sum that adds up to lakhs? Yes, this dream of many has become a reality for a Bengaluru woman named Saishwari Patil who won a whopping sum of ₹9 Lakh for sleeping. "Aise kaise hosakta hai," exclaimed her mother when Saishwari broke this news to her.
Saishwari is an investment banker from Bengaluru. What most people only dream of turned into reality for this investment banker. She received a hefty amount as the prize for winning the ‘Sleep Champion’ title in Bangalore-based start-up Wakefit’s third season of its sleep internship program. She was among 12 other sleep interns of the program.
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What was the sleep internship program about?
The sleep internship program Saishwari was a part of was designed for individuals who prioritise sleep but often find their lives interfering and chaotic due to other commitments and increased work-life pressure. This program requires every individual to sleep thoroughly for eight to nine hours every night.
Moreover, the participants in this program were also urged to take a good 20-minute nap during the day. To track and enhance their sleep habits, every chosen intern received a high-quality mattress and a wearable sleep tracker. In order to enhance their sleeping patterns and raise their chances of becoming the "Sleep Champions," the interns also participated in frequent sessions conducted by sleep mentors.
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Why was this competition conducted?
It is no surprise that people, especially youngsters are facing health issues are a very tender age due to a sedentary lifestyle. Exposure to social media, no nutritious diet and extreme lack of sleep has become a flaunting trend amongst young adult but it is resulting in serious health issues.
Nearly 50% of Indians report feeling exhausted when they wake up, according to WakeFit's seventh edition of The Great Indian Sleep Scorecard 2024. In our country, sleep deprivation has become a widespread occurrence due to various factors such as excessive work hours, bad sleep environment, lack of physical activity, etc. Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of Wakefit Kunal Dubey said, "The company's tongue-in-cheek way to rekindle India's relationship with sleep by incentivizing the interns with a stipend."
The sleep internship program has drawn over 10 lakh registrations over the course of three seasons and employed 51 interns, who have taken home a total of 63 lakh in stipends.
You need to be a disciplined sleeper, says Saishwari
When asked about how managed to adopt a strict sleep routine and slept for eight to nine hours straight, she said that it requires discipline to be able to become a good sleeper. “To get a good average score, you need to maintain consistent wake-up and sleep times. This means cutting down on late-night activities like binge-watching and scrolling through social media. It’s challenging to break these habits, but it’s very rewarding," Sashwari shared with The Hindu.
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Further she also mentioned that Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted her sleep routine and this internship taught her to be a disciplined sleeper.
The Wakefit's sleep internship not only required you to sleep for long hours but have a relaxed state of mind as you slept. Tha quality of sleep matters the most for the sleep to give you health benefits. “The thought of improving my sleep score during the internship was a bit stressful. The sleep competition was a crazy concept. You can prepare for exams, but how do you prepare to sleep well? On the day of the finale, my goal was to stay relaxed and present in the moment,” Saishwari recalled.
Saishwari shares sleeping tips
Saishwari shared that she participated in this sleeping competition purely out of curiosity and did not have any desire to win. Her casual application led her to participate in this competition. After she got into the program, she realsed the importance of deep sleep and became invested in this concept.
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“I learned about the different sleep cycles and their importance for well-being. Lack of quality sleep can affect concentration, productivity, and emotional resilience,” she says, “Deep sleep is essential for physical repair, strengthening the immune system, releasing growth hormones, and clearing metabolic waste from the brain. REM sleep is important for memory consolidation and emotional regulation," she shared.
She shared sleeping tips such as listening to meditative music that calms you down, taking a warm shower an hour before sleep and following a consistent bedtime routine. With this she also said that she will continue to advocate the importance of sleep and explore more sleep strategies herself.
