Selling Sleep To A Sleepless Nation

Dear Reader,

If you’re sleeping less and spending more to fix it, you’re not alone.

Anuj has a hectic job and says he rarely gets more than five hours of sleep a night. When his poor sleep started affecting his productivity and adding inches to his waistline, he turned to supplements. Since then, he’s tried melatonin in every form possible: sprays, gummies, tablets, melting strips.

Melatonin helped, as did tracking his sleep. But soon, the latter habit started taking over his life.

“A lot of times when you don’t meet these goals, it kicks in anxiety. Already, I’m anxious. I don’t want more anxiety,” he told me. 

India has a serious sleep crisis that cuts across class and gender. A 2025 LocalCircles survey found that 59% of Indians get less than six hours of uninterrupted sleep each night.

It’s no surprise, then, that the sleep economy is booming. From melatonin gummies and “sleepy-time” teas to wearables like Oura rings, there’s a product for every kind of restless mind.

Several people I spoke to are self-medicating with supplements; some, like Anuj, are also obsessively tracking their sleep. But how far is too far when it comes to buying rest?

We speak to doctors and consumers about this on the latest episode of The Signal Brief. You can find us on Youtube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

I’d love to hear what you thought! Write to us at [email protected], or reach me directly on Instagram or Twitter at @thesignaldotco, or via email at [email protected].

Thanks for listening, and have a rejuvenating weekend.

Best,
Kudrat
on behalf of The Core

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