Sleep Awareness Week begins March 14–20, 2027, right as clocks spring forward and most Americans lose an hour of sleep.
When the Clocks Change
Every year in March, from the Sunday clocks spring forward to the following Saturday. The 2026 campaign covered March 8 to 14, and in 2025 it was March 9 to 15.
NSF, the National Sleep Foundation, created it in 1998, so 2026 marked its 28th year. NSF still runs it, and it typically announces the dates a month ahead.
Nearly Three Decades of Reminders
Timing was deliberate. NSF wanted people to feel the message, and losing an hour of sleep does exactly that.
Research launches during the week. NSF releases its yearly Sleep in America Poll, a survey series it began in 1991.
Recent polls have taken on new angles. The 2024 edition linked healthy sleep habits to teen mental health.
A 2025 edition found a “powerful link” between sleep health and a person’s ability to flourish.
In 2026, the poll turned to children up to age 13. It found 95% of respondents agree good sleep is essential to how a family functions.
Yet roughly half of parents seldom or never talk with their kids about why sleep matters, NSF found.
What the Week Asks
CEO John Lopos says the week exists “to remind the public to prioritize healthy sleep habits.”
Reach is wide. NSF says the campaign reaches millions of people in the U.S. and abroad each year and earns billions of media impressions.
Many Americans fall short. In 2022, CDC data showed 37% of men slept less than the recommended 7 hours, and rates ran as high as 46% in Hawaii.
Vermont did best, with 30% of adults getting too little sleep. By age, adults 45 to 64 fared worst, at 39%.
Progress has stalled. CDC found the national rate of short sleep didn’t change from 2013 to 2022.
Needs change with age. NSF recommends 7 to 9 hours a night for adults 18 to 64, and 7 to 8 hours for those 65 and older.
Teens need 8 to 10 hours, and school-age kids from 6 to 13 need 9 to 11.
Younger children need more still. Preschoolers should get 10 to 13 hours, and toddlers 11 to 14.
Infants from 4 to 11 months need even more, 12 to 15 hours a day, and newborns need 14 to 17. Individual needs vary, NSF adds, so an hour on either side can be normal.
NSF’s slogan for all this is helping people be their “Best Slept Self.”
How to Sleep Better This Week
Springing forward is a good test of your habits. NSF’s basic tips can help your body adjust faster to the lost hour.
- Go to bed at the same time each night, including the weekend.
- Build a calming routine before bed, such as reading or a warm bath.
- Skip alcohol, caffeine and heavy, spicy food in the hours close to bedtime.
- Keep your bedroom cool, about 60 to 67 degrees, plus dark and quiet.
- Talk with your kids about why sleep matters, as the 2026 poll suggests few parents do.
- Check the new Sleep in America Poll when NSF releases it during the week, and share one finding.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sleep Awareness Week the same every year?
Its anchor is. It always starts with the spring clock change, so the dates move.
Is Sleep Awareness Week only for adults?
No. Recent polls have focused on kids and teens.
Does NSF run other campaigns?
It does. Its fall campaign targets drowsy driving.
Who leads NSF’s board?
Steven Lerman, a physician, chairs it.