Making Sleep A Priority: Sealy NZ’s Guide For World Sleep Day 2025

Friday 14 March marks World Sleep Day 2025, with this year’s theme being to ‘make sleep health a priority’. World Sleep Day is an opportunity to promote sleep health, and the scientific evidence is clear: quality sleep is essential for health and wellbeing.

Sealy New Zealand are committed to helping Kiwis achieve better sleep and improve overall wellbeing. With a heritage of more than 140 years in crafting premium mattresses, Sealy Posturepedic has been a trusted name in sleep support, offering innovative, scientifically designed sleep solutions that prioritise comfort and support. Sealy NZ’s products are designed with the latest sleep research in mind, ensuring the best possible rest for New Zealanders.

Sealy NZ is once again highlighting the importance of prioritising sleep for overall mind-body well-being this World Sleep Day, coming at a crucial time when many New Zealanders are struggling with sleep quality.

Across Aotearoa, Kiwis are struggling with sleep, with research from Sealy’s Global Sleep Survey revealing that 90% of Kiwis believe their personal lives would benefit from better sleep.

To help combat these challenges, Sealy NZ has partnered with health and sleep psychologist Tracey Gee, an expert in mind-body medicine, to share scientific evidence-based strategies for generally healthy adults to improve sleep health.

“A common issue to ‘making sleep health a priority’ is ‘bedtime revenge procrastination’,” shares Tracey Gee. “This is when people sacrifice sleep to gain some personal time, especially those with demanding jobs or responsibilities that leave little room for themselves during the day. Examples include scrolling through screens late at night, doing tasks that feel necessary like house chores, or 'bedtime negotiation' bargaining with yourself to stay up a little longer for some ‘me time’.”

Tracey notes that while these behaviours may feel like self-care at the time, they can lead to sleep issues impacting on your overall health. She emphasises that sleep health and quality sleep, not just focusing on quantity, is essential for both psychological/mental and physical health. “Getting quality sleep helps process the day’s challenges then restores, recalibrates, improves emotional regulation and bodily resilience. Thus, you feel you can cope better and deal with stress.”

To help Kiwis take control of their sleep health, Tracey Gee outlines practical, research-based strategies across four key areas: (1) Sleep Routine, (2) Sleep Environment, (3) Sleep Breathing and (4) Sleep Mindset.

1. Create a strong and consistent sleep routine.

• Begin your sleep routine as soon as you wake up, not just at bedtime. Sleep regulation involves your circadian rhythms (body’s sleep-wake clock), different hormones; cortisol (stress and wakefulness hormone), melatonin (sleep hormone), and sleep pressure.
• Maintaining a consistent sleep schedule by waking up and going to bed to sleep at the same time daily, even on weekends, to help regulate your circadian rhythm.
• When waking, getting morning sunlight helps lowers melatonin levels, making you more alert and reducing daytime sleepiness.
• Managing stress is key, cortisol spikes caused by additional daily stress can disrupt sleep. Try mindful breathing and reducing daily urgency to lower stress spikes.
• Healthy lifestyle choices like balanced nutrition, exercise, and hydration support better sleep. Be mindful of disruptors like caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol, as sensitivities vary in how they influence your ability to sleep.
• If napping, for how long and when can affect sleep pressure and trying to sleep as you may not be tired enough.
• A wind-down routine with dimming lighting and relaxing activities 1-2 hrs before bed, followed by a bedtime routine setting up your sleep environment 20-30 minutes before getting in bed to sleep helps prepare your mind and body for sleep.
• Be aware of extended time in bed staying awake while trying to sleep as it can cause issues pairing your bed with being awake rather than asleep.

2. Optimise your sleep environment to feel safe and comfortable.

• The heat from having a hot shower or bath 15-20 minutes before bed can help your muscles relax and the drop in body temperature signals your body it’s time to rest. Additionally, keeping the room temperature between 16-19°C (for healthy adults) and well-ventilated with fresh air can help with more comfortable and restorative sleep.
• Reducing light, especially blue light from devices, and creating a dark environment helps your natural melatonin rise and signals your body that it’s time to rest and sleep.
• Be mindful of helpful vs unhelpful device (e.g. mobiles, laptops, gaming) use that can make a difference to keeping you awake, and your brain too active to want to sleep.
• Create a peaceful environment to manage noise and signalling there’s no need to be alert or awake. The use of white noise or ear plugs can help with this.
• Having supportive bedding such as a quality mattress and pillow/s can help with spinal health and sleep posture.
• Using a weighted blanket, that’s body weight specific, provides pressure that signals safety to your body.

3. Sleep breathing

• Breathing slowly activates the ‘off switch’ to your stress response, helping move your body from wakefulness to rest and recovery for sleep. While there are various breathing techniques, the key is to feel your stomach move with each breath and ensure your breathing is slow and steady.

4. Sleep mindset

• Having a relaxed mindset toward sleep can help prevent cortisol increasing that should be low when sleeping. Unintended sleep-effort influencing your self-talk language from overthinking or becoming frustrated with trying to fall or be asleep maybe keeping you awake with a stressed mindset.

Tracey emphasises, "Taking care of your sleep is one of the best things you can do for your overall health and well-being. Thus, the need to prioritise your sleep. Wishing you sweet dreams as you make your sleep health a priority. Happy World Sleep Day!”

Sealy NZ believes in the transformative power of quality sleep and are proud to continue supporting Kiwis with innovative mattresses, designed to provide the comfort and support needed for a good night’s rest.

To read Tracey Gee’s full article for World Sleep Day 2025 on the Sealy NZ Sleep Hub, please visit: https://sealy.co.nz/sleep-advice/make-sleep-health-a-priority

¹ Conducted by Quantum Market Research (QMR) from 29 August – 21 September 2023 with 20,000 participants aged 18+ across New Zealand, Australia, United Kingdom, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Taiwan. Australia/New Zealand sample size n=5,865 with data weighted to be representative of Australia and New Zealand populations.

About Sealy Posturepedic:

Sealy Posturepedic is a globally recognised leader in sleep innovation, built on a proud legacy of family ownership and local craftsmanship. For generations, Sealy has been dedicated to manufacturing high-quality mattresses that combine world-class research, expert engineering, and a deep commitment to local manufacturing.

As a family-owned business, Sealy operates state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, ensuring that each mattress is designed, tested, and produced to meet the highest standards of durability, comfort, and support. Every Sealy Posturepedic mattress is backed by scientific research and orthopaedic expertise. Sealy also collaborates with the Orthopaedic Advisory Board (OAB)—a team of leading health and medical professionals dedicated to improving sleep quality.

Sealy’s commitment to precision engineering and rigorous testing is further reinforced by accreditation from the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA), ensuring that each mattress meets strict performance and safety standards. This dedication to innovation and quality has made Sealy Posturepedic a trusted name in sleep for generations, helping millions wake up refreshed and well-supported every day.

For more information, visit www.sealy.co.nz or follow Sealy NZ on social media.

About Tracey Gee - Health Psychologist (NZ Registered)

Tracey is an NZ-trained health psychologist who specialises in mind-body medicine, focusing on the influence and impact psychological and physical health have on each other. Since 2001, she has worked across both private and public settings including her own practice, corporate health, clinics and hospitals.

Tracey’s practice covers a broad range of health and well-being issues, she specialised in sleep due to its significant role in overall well-being and its wide-ranging benefits. She works exclusively with adults and based in Auckland. She is trained in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) and Mindfulness-Based Therapy for Insomnia (MBT-I), offering evidence-based interventions for sleep-related issues and conditions. In addition, she integrates approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to provide comprehensive tailored treatment options to meet individual's unique needs.

For more information, visit www.healthworkz.co.nz

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