Two Sunderland students have won a national competition to find a slogan on sleep.
Dan Mitchell and Jordan Williams, who are both studying Advertising and Design at the University of Sunderland, won with the slogan Sleep Tight, Be Bright.
The Sleep Council had been on a nationwide hunt to find a slogan to help promote better sleep and improve public awareness about the impact of sleep on healthy lifestyles.
They asked students from colleges and universities to create a slogan and message for the National Sleep Better Competition, presented in a creative of their choice – print, video or audio.
The winning team, named Mitchell & Williams, received £1,000 and the University received £1,000 in vouchers.
Jordan Williams and Dan Mitchell said: “We’re so happy to have won.
“The topic really appealed to us and there’s a lot you can talk about when it comes to sleep.
“We came up with the concept Sleep Tight, Be Bright and thought of the funny things people do when they are tired, and what would be instantly recognisable in any kind of advertising or marketing.”
The entries were shortlisted and judged by an expert panel including Lily Makurah from Public Health England, James Swift of Campaign magazine, creative advertising designer Brian Storey, and Lisa Artis.
Lisa Artis of The Sleep Council said: “Enough sleep of good quality is vital for our health and welfare – but there is no public health campaign to increase awareness.
“The idea behind the competition was to raise the awareness of the ‘better sleep’ message.
“We had some extremely good entries for the competition but what the judges liked about Jordan and Dan’s entry was that it was relevant, snappy and could be used straight away in creatives or on social media.”
Keith Nevens, senior lecturer and programme leader at the University of Sunderland, added: “This win couldn’t have come at a better time for Jordan and Dan – they are filled with enthusiasm and energy by the win.
The Sleep Council have also issued five ways to sleep better.
These are:
- Avoid stimulants large meals or vigorous exercise for at least three to four hours before going to bed.
- If you have trouble getting to sleep, lavender, passion flower, hops, orange blossom, Scot’s pine, chamomile and peppermint all claim to promote sleep. And milky night time drinks really do help bring on the Zzz’s.
- The Romans thought that lettuce was good for sleep, but the crème-de-la-crème “sleep sandwich” has to be a banana, marmite and lettuce buttie: the banana and marmite contain natural substances that help induce sleep.
- Make sure the sleeping environment is as conducive to rest as possible. A comfortable bed in a dark, well-ventilated room is essential. And when we say dark, we mean dark – invest in some black out curtains.
- Avoid using electronic devices (TVs, gaming machines and more importantly, tablets and smartphones) in the hour before bedtime. Blue light emitting from these gadgets stimulates the brain and inhibits melatonin production – the hormone you need to sleep.