As 2025 comes to a close, what can we expect from sleep wellness for 2026? Likely, more of the same.
What Sleep Wellness Trends Can We Expect to See in 2026?
The pursuit of sufficient, high-quality sleep will continue as we acknowledge what we’ve known all along: sleep is essential to both mental and physical well-being.
1. Sleep Will Continue to Be Critical to Overall Health and Well-being
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) launched its “Sleep is Good Medicine” campaign in 2022 “to increase public education about the importance of sleep and its connection to health.” We will continue to see a focus on sleep as the third pillar of health equal in importance to exercise and nutrition. Sleep is not “self-care that can wait, or a reward you need to earn.”
2. Insomnia will Remain a Problem for Many of Us
Unfortunately, insomnia will continue to be a problem. Insomnia occurs when one has “trouble falling asleep or staying asleep even though you had the opportunity to get a full night of sleep,” according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. It’s more than the occasional night of poor sleep, which everyone experiences. Short-term insomnia can last up to three months and occurs in 15-20% of people. Chronic insomnia “occurs at least three times per week and lasts for at least three months. About 10 percent of people have chronic insomnia.” Chronic insomnia should be diagnosed and treated with a sleep doctor.
While “healthy sleep habits” are recommended for both types, they may not be enough for chronic insomnia. In that case, the AASM “recommends cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, or CBT-I, as the first-line treatment for chronic insomnia in adults.” CBT-I “addresses the thoughts and behaviors that keep you from sleeping well. It also helps you learn new strategies to sleep better.” A sleep professional should be consulted.
3. Sleep Will Continue to Be a Family Affair
In July of this year, the National Sleep Foundation launched its family sleep health initiative called Best Slept® to guide all family members to healthy sleep by “understanding the interconnected nature of family sleep patterns and their impact on health and well-being.” The NSF has recognized that a single family member’s struggles with sleep can affect the whole household. “At the same time, how family members model healthy sleep practices can be a strong positive influence for the whole family.”
The idea of family sleep health is visible in the social media trend of users sharing their parents’ attitudes toward sleep and labeling them as “sleep positive” or “sleep negative.” A “sleep supportive family” is one that encourages sleep, including sleeping in and taking naps, or, at least, doesn’t equate those bits of extra sleep with laziness. We’re all for a “sleep-positive household” that prioritizes sleep hygiene and calming bedtime routines for the whole family.
4. Sleepmaxxers Will Continue to Chase Perfect Sleep
Sleepmaxxing, short for sleep maximizing, became so popular among young people on social media last year that a Harvard Medical Professor looked into the viral wellness trend. He found that some of the sleepmaxxing strategies are evidence based while others are not. Those that fall within good sleep hygiene are prescribed by sleep experts, including “decreasing caffeine and alcohol consumption, increasing physical activity, sleep timing, reducing evening light exposure, limiting daytime naps, and having a cool bedroom.” Some strategies, such as mouth-taping, are not necessarily supported by research.
The pursuit of perfect sleep can create its own barrier to good sleep. The author of the review of the strategies for sleepmaxxing noted a concern with orthosomnia, an unhealthy pursuit of perfect sleep, that “is embedded in the sleepmaxxing culture.” Don’t let the search for perfect sleep keep you awake in 2026.
5. Good Sleep Environments and Calming Bedtime Routines Will Continue to Support Sleep
While wearable devices to monitor sleep will continue to provide insight into the details of our sleep, experts will continue to tout low-tech sleep hygiene to improve the quantity and quality of sleep. That means creating a sleep-worthy bedroom that is dark, cool, and quiet with quality comfortable bedding. It also means creating a bedtime routine during the hour before you lie down that will allow your mind and body to unwind in preparation for sleep. Read more about creating a better bedtime routine to improve your sleep in our article, linked below.
6. Hotels Will Continue to Focus on Sleep to Draw Guests
Providing great sleep, beyond simply providing a place for guests to lay their heads, will continue to be a focus of the hospitality industry. That means everything from pillow menus and sleep-supportive amenities to sleep concierges and sleep-centric spas designed for sleep tourists.
One reason you might sleep well when you stay at a hotel is the fact that you're removed from the stress of daily life. However, there are plenty of reasons that great sleep at hotels can be difficult, including the brain’s reaction to a new environment and the unfamiliar and intrusive noises that keep you awake, whether that's traffic outside or other hotel guests celebrating. Overcoming these roadblocks to good sleep is the reason hoteliers are consulting sleep specialists to create sleep-optimized rooms with soundproofing and ambient lighting to offering spa-like treatments to encourage sleep from night one. These efforts will only continue in 2026. When you book your next stay, ask about the hotel’s sleep offerings and what they've done to reduce disturbing sound. Nothing ruins a trip faster than lack of sleep.
Sleep will remain in style in 2026.
-Team at down etc
Read more:
Why Do I Sleep So Well When I Sleep at a Hotel?
How to Create a Better Bedtime Routine and Improve Your Sleep
About down etc
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