Is Netflix trying to rip us off with “The Headspace Guide to Sleep”, its new wellness series?

The second part of the documentary animation series The Headspace Guide to Sleep, in partnership with an Anglo-American online meditation company, available on Netflix since Wednesday, April 28, 2021, promises to work miracles on our sleep problems. Eve, the voice-over of this new series, says it: she “hope you fall asleep before its end credits!”

These small episodes of 10 to 15 minutes provide an informed and documented analysis of our dreams, our unconsciousness, our stress, which have a negative impact on our nights. Note that each episode ends with a meditation exercise to help you fall asleep better. So the series The Headspace Guide to Sleep is it really the essential solution to solve our sleep problems? Considering the way Netflix has “marketed” this program, it looks good. But some information remains to be taken with a grain of salt. We explain why.

Netflix and sleep, are they really compatible?

Truth be told, the very concept of watching a series to find a peaceful sleep seems contradictory to us. If the voiceover appeases us and the animations are pleasant to watch, we still have our eyes riveted on a screen. Episode 2 of this second part of the Headspace Guide to Sleep alert on this point: some studies do indeed prove that screens prevent us from having a peaceful night’s sleep.

Sns count the very concept of the Netflix platform, which encourages to binge watcher … and therefore, to lose hours of sleep. Certain American media have already pointed out the contradictory dimension of this Netflix series: “When the credits [de fin] starts scrolling, Netflix automatically launches the next episode – just to replicate the principle of ‘binge watching’ and get you hooked on meditation. In short, we are dealing with a curious coupling of media “, thus explains Los Angeles Times. “It’s the height of hypnotic TV: TV designed to make you stop watching TV”, declares for his part the New York Times.

Read also : Is it bad to sleep too much?

A series to relax yes, but not to fall asleep

In fact, the way Netflix communicated about the concept of its documentary series is wrong. The Headspace Guide to Sleep is above all a good method to relax and to do meditation. The exercises at the end of an episode are very useful, especially after watching ten minutes of explanations on our difficulty in falling asleep. We took the time to take a step back to better understand them and each exercise is therefore timely.

Besides, contrary to what Netflix tells us, no need to watch The Headspace Guide to Sleep before going to sleep. In the morning, between noon and two or after shutting down your computer after a long day at work, this documentary series has no schedule and, in reality, can binge watcher without worry. We will probably even be completely relaxed after a series of episodes! You will understand: we believe in the powers of this series, simply, not on sleep.