SOMNEX | The Sleep show

Sleep. Are you getting enough of it? Doubt it.

It's the question that's been on everyone's down-turned and weary lips of late: what's the effect of not getting enough sleep in this over-worked, social media addicted, permanently stressed-out 21st century?

The topic of sleep has become so popular of late, it spawned the book of the year in 2017, Why We Sleep, and the publication of Senior Economist at RAND, Marco Hafner's report Why Sleep Matters.

Extraordinarily, it's estimated by research company RAND that the UK economy loses 200,000 working days a year through sleep deprivation at an estimated cost of £40 billion annually. Not getting enough sleep costs the UK economy £4.6 million per hour.

Thank heavens, then, that London's first ever sleep exhibition is about to launch, examining the link between quality of sleep and physical and mental health (with research suggesting that sleep-deprivation is a cause of illnesses such as type 2 diabetes). The exhibition also brings together industries investing sleep under one roof to share ideas and information.

The estimated sleep industry, currently valued at an estimated $80bn, could be worth twice as much according to the show's organisers. The sleep aids market, which is categorised into mattresses and pillows, sleep laboratories, medications and sleep apnea devices, is expanding at warp speed to include categories from the health and wellbeing and tech industries.

This three-day event is split into one corporate day on Friday 12 October, followed by two consumer days on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 October, which make up the two days Culture Whisper members are invited to explore this London first.

This two day consumer exhibition features over 120 companies showcasing their products and technology, multiple content stages, sleep experts and interactive experiences to help us better understand the need for sleep and how to prioritise getting it.

Sleep well, and see you there.