With a sleep crisis gripping the globe, people are looking for creative ways to drift off. Amid the deluge of tech-driven options, many Britons are turning instead to sleep-promoting food and drink, drawn to botanical remedies that feel more accessible than medicinal ones. We explore the insights behind this and how brands are delving into the potential of healthy sleep.
A survey in The Grocer shows that most Britons have a hard time getting to sleep, with three in 10 people finding it a near-daily struggle to drift off. With over 70% of people wary of medicinally-based solutions like chemical tablets, the appeal of sleep-promoting food and drink options is increasing. According to Mintel, the number of such products in the food aisles rose by 46% between 2014-2017, and new offerings like natural sleep drink Snooze are primed to launch in the UK. “These new-wave products are looking to position themselves as something a little more potent than a tea, but less clinical than a sleeping tablet,” says Emma Weinbren, The Grocer’s food trends editor.
Poor sleep is a public health epidemic – the NHS estimates that one in three Britons struggles with a lack of shut-eye. As people gain awareness of how important sleep is, they have begun to take it more seriously, allowing creative sleep solutions – from gravity blankets to snoring trackers – to proliferate. On the food front, soothing bedtime teas have long reigned supreme, but other plant-based remedies are gaining traction thanks to their accessibility. These products balance out ‘soft benefits’ and ‘hard science’ in a way that doesn’t intimidate consumers, thus slowly easing them into sleep promoting food and drink. This shift towards natural cures is also transforming the market for CBD products, where people are beginning to tap into cannabis’ potential to enhance overall health and wellbeing.
Aaron Hanaphy is a behavioural analyst at Canvas8, which specializes in behavioral insights and consumer research. As a synth-loving semiotician you’ll either find him fiddling with filters or diving deep into the cultural nuances of anything from bad TV to brand language.
