Move over New York, New York. Toronto is the real city that never sleeps.
Canada is the third most sleep-deprived nation in the world and it’s particularly hard to get a good night’s sleep in Toronto.
What is it about this city that makes it so hard to sleep? Is it the light pollution? Is it the weather or the noise?
Here are a few reasons why it can be hard to get more than six hours of sleep in the 6ix.
1. Your Commute
It’s no secret that living in Toronto means signing most of your life over to the TTC, the GO Train, or city traffic.
How bad is the average commute? There are only five cities in North America that punish their commuters more. The average Torontonian will commute for about 90 minutes of the day. However, that’s just the average. You probably work with several people who travel more than an hour (or more) each way, every single day.
It can be hard to unwind when you get home after spending so much time sitting in traffic or standing shoulder-to-shoulder with strangers. This difficulty unwinding leads to later bedtimes.
2. Your Bed
Do you need a new bed? Probably. Most people hold on to mattresses longer than they should. Getting a new bed may seem like a massive ordeal if you’re one of many Torontonians who don’t have a car. You assume you will have to rent a car or truck and drive to a big box store outside of the city.
It doesn’t have to be that way. It’s time for you to discover the benefits of buying your mattress online in Canada and getting it delivered right to your home. If you have had your mattress for more than eight years, you should definitely look into it.
3. Your Social Life
Toronto is the FOMO Capital of Canada and a lot of people stay up late trying to do everything. You know you should catch up on sleep tonight. But all of your friends are going to a pop-up-something tonight on Queen West and you can’t miss it.
There is a big misconception that you can survive on five or six hours of sleep and then make up for it on the weekend. Sadly, that’s not how your body actually works. It’s not a phone battery that you charge whenever you get a chance. A nap on Sunday feels great, but it’s not enough to help your body get back what it lost during the week.
It’s also important to remember that having a few drinks while you’re out will hurt your body’s ability to get the full REM sleep you need. You may get 6 hours of sleep when you get home, but you won’t be fully asleep.
4. Late-Night Eating
Toronto has an endless supply of late-night bars and restaurants. It’s incredibly easy to walk down the street and find something to eat after midnight. It’s even easier to order shawarma or pizza through Uber Eats. This availability of delicious food isn’t great for your diet and it’s even worse for your sleep habits.
You may think that going to bed on a full tummy will help you sleep. That full feeling may make it easier to fall asleep. However, eating before bed increases the odds of snoring and waking yourself up.
At the same time, if you do this a few times, it quickly becomes a part of your bedtime routine. Now you have a hard time falling asleep on (what you perceive to be) an empty stomach.
5. City Noises
Living in Toronto means accepting noises like car horns and emergency sirens as part of the experience. But that doesn’t mean they won’t bother you while you’re trying to sleep. They may also wake you up in the middle of the night.
If you live in a busy part of the city, you may want to consider trying earplugs or white noise machines to help you sleep.
We hate to sound like your parents, but go to bed, already! This is one of the busiest and most vibrant cities in North America. But your body needs sleep more than you need to check out a new bar down the block.
Make sleep a priority every single night and you will feel the difference. You also won’t have to worry about falling asleep on the subway and missing your stop.
