Saishwari Patil, an investment banker from Bengaluru, recently won Rs 9 lakh for maintaining a healthy sleep routine of 8 to 9 hours and taking short power naps during work breaks. It might sound surprising, but it’s true! Her story as the ‘Sleep Champion’ has caught attention on social media, with many wondering how she won such a large amount just for sleeping. Saishwari earned this title by participating in Wakefit’s third season of its sleep internship contest. The program encourages people to get 8 to 9 hours of sleep at night and take 20-minute naps during the day.
Who is Saishwari Patil?
Saishwari Patil is an investment banking analyst from Bengaluru. She studied Economics at Symbiosis School of Economics and completed her postgraduate studies in Finance at IFIM Business School. She started her career as an audit intern at Grant Thornton INDUS, where she worked for two years. After that, she did a 10-month internship as a Sleep Intern at Wakefit. Currently, she works as an analyst at Equi-T Partners LLP.
As one of 12 chosen ‘sleep interns,’ Saishwari received a premium mattress and a device to track her sleep. Throughout the program, participants attended workshops led by sleep experts to improve their sleep quality and increase their chances of winning. Over the past three years, Wakefit’s program has received over 1 million applications, hired 51 interns, and paid Rs 63 lakh in stipends.
Wakefit’s Chief Marketing Officer, Kunal Dubey, explained that the program is a fun way to remind Indians about the importance of sleep. The 2024 edition of The Great Indian Sleep Scorecard, conducted by Wakefit, found that nearly 50% of Indians wake up feeling tired. Common reasons for this include long working hours, poor sleep environments, stress, anxiety, and a lack of physical activity, making sleep deprivation widespread across the country.
