Bengaluru woman wins Rs 9 lakh just by sleeping, here's how she did it

A Bengaluru investment banker, Saishwari Patil, turned her dream of getting more sleep into a profitable achievement by winning Rs 9 lakh. She earned the title of 'Sleep Champion' in the third season of Wakefit's sleep internship program, an initiative by the Bangalore-based start-up.

Patil was one of 12 'sleep interns' selected for the program, which promotes better sleep habits. The interns were encouraged to sleep for eight to nine hours each night and take 20-minute power naps during the day.

Each participant received a premium mattress and a contactless sleep tracker to help improve their sleep quality, according to The Hindu. The interns also attended workshops led by sleep experts to develop better sleep habits and boost their chances of winning the 'Sleep Champion' title.

Wakefit shared that, across three seasons, the program has drawn over 1 million applicants and selected 51 interns, paying out a total of Rs 63 lakh in stipends.

Saishwari, the 'Sleep Champion' of Wakefit's Season 3 sleep internship, shared her gratitude on social media, calling it the "greatest job stint."

Applications for Season 4 are now open, with selected interns guaranteed a Rs 1 lakh stipend and a chance to win up to Rs 10 lakh by becoming the next Sleep Champion.

Qualifications for the internship:

• A graduate in proper pillow use — strictly for sleeping, not for talking or fighting.
• A master’s degree in finding excuses to nap.
• Experience in dozing off during meetings, traffic, movies, and games.
• A proven track record of skipping weekend plans just to sleep.

The 2024 Wakefit Great Indian Sleep Scorecard found that almost 50% of Indians wake up feeling tired, with long work hours, poor sleep environments, stress, and lack of exercise being common reasons. "Our sleep internship is a fun way to help Indians prioritize sleep, with a stipend as an incentive," said Wakefit's Chief Marketing Officer, Kunal Dubey, to The Hindu.

Ms. Patil emphasized the importance of sleep discipline. "To keep a good score, you need to be consistent with your sleep and wake-up times, which means cutting down on late-night habits like binge-watching or scrolling through social media. It's hard to break these habits, but it's worth it," she shared with the media.