In today’s fast-paced world, sleep is often the first thing we sacrifice in pursuit of success. Entrepreneurs, executives, and professionals juggle endless responsibilities, believing that pushing through fatigue is the only way to stay ahead. The reality? Poor sleep takes a silent but devastating toll—affecting focus, decision-making, and overall well-being. Research consistently shows that chronic sleep deprivation leads to burnout, mental fog, and even long-term health risks. Yet, in Asia’s thriving business ecosystem, the culture of overwork makes quality rest feel like an unattainable luxury.
For many, struggling with insomnia, stress, and restless nights has become the norm, yet solutions remain reactive—sleep aids, caffeine, and sheer willpower. But what if sleep wellness could be approached differently? Eric Lim and Somnus Sleep Wellness are transforming the sleep health industry with a science-backed, mindfulness-driven approach. Their mission is simple yet powerful: to help people develop a healthier relationship with rest—one that is sustainable, accessible, and life-changing. Through sleep health screenings, mindfulness-based therapy, and corporate wellness programs, they are proving that achieving better sleep isn’t just about sleeping more—it’s about sleeping better.
Key Takeaways:
- The Sleep Crisis is Real: Many professionals, entrepreneurs, and executives suffer from chronic sleep deprivation, affecting performance, health, and well-being.
- Traditional solutions like sleep aids and medication offer temporary relief, but Somnus Sleep Wellness is shifting the industry toward preventive and sustainable sleep solutions.
- Better sleep leads to sharper decision-making, higher energy levels, and improved resilience, making it essential for long-term success.
Highlights
Beyond Sleep Aids: The Future of Sleep Health
Q: Can you share how your product or service has positively impacted a customer’s life?
A: At Somnus Sleep Wellness, we aim to help individuals achieve restorative sleep and transform their overall well-being. People often come to us when they struggle to fall asleep or when they find it a challenge to get restorative sleep due to insomnia.
One of our clients shared a powerful testimonial: “I benefited greatly from my consult sessions. I reached out to Eric after realizing that I have sleep anxiety issues. He helped me reframe my relationship with sleep so that I’m less stressed about falling asleep. My sleep quality has improved.”
Stories like this reflect the heart of our mission which is helping people regain their satisfying sleep in unlocking a better quality of life. Whether it’s through our sleep health screenings, personalised consultations, sleep wellness courses and workshops, we are creating lasting and sustainable changes for our clients to not just survive, but thrive in their lives.
Q: How has your startup disrupted or transformed your industry?
A: The sleep health industry has traditionally relied on reactive measures like medication or sleep aids, but Somnus Sleep Wellness is disrupting this model with a proactive, evidence-based approach.
We’re Singapore’s first provider of 20-minute sleep health screenings that assess risks for disorders like insomnia and sleep apnea while offering personalised solutions. Partnering with AIA Vitality to oPer this has helped to increase the accessibility of the screening to get the help to more people early.
As a certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Teacher, I have witnessed first-hand how mindfulness has helped change individuals’ relationship with stress and sleep. Somnus Sleep Wellness oPers Mindfulness-based Therapy (MBT) as a new adjunctive treatment to Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) and may be more suitable for those with certain types of insomnia.
Our integration of mindfulness-based approaches in our therapy and sleep wellness workshops has redefined how people perceive and address sleep health through greater self-awareness. By focusing on psychological and behavioural causes of poor sleep, we are shifting the conversation from quick fixes to long-term, sustainable solutions.
With the launch of Somnus Mental Fitness Club, we are leading the industry by proactively helping people to gain the clarity and resilience to handle life’s challenges with the support of a community to help people not just survive, but to start thriving.
Q: What feedback and recognition have you received from customers, partners, or industry experts?
A: We’ve received heartfelt feedback from clients and partners alike. Many clients, like the one who overcame sleep anxiety with our expertise, have shared how our programs improved their sleep and mental well-being.
Industry leaders have recognized our efforts too. We’ve partnered with organizations like GIC, EDB, IRAS, Chevron Singapore and Sun Venture to promote employee wellness through our workshops and sleep wellness programs. We also actively collaborate with corporates like SPH Media and IKEA to raise public awareness of sleep and how we can take action to improve it. Finally, with its strong academic grounding, the team has earned praise from international scientific experts such as Dr. Jason Ong from Nox Health and Dr. Joshua Gooley from Duke-NUS Medical School.
Q: What is your vision for your startup’s long-term impact and growth potential?
A: Our vision is to make sleep wellness a cornerstone of public health across Asia. We want to empower people to recognize the value of sleep as foundational to their productivity, relationships, and overall health.
To achieve this, we plan to expand our offerings through digital platforms, wellness tourism initiatives, and corporate partnerships, making our services accessible to a wider audience.
Specifically, we are looking to work more closely with corporates to oPer our sleep health screening service and provide group-based Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) employees to address productivity losses associated with poor sleep and fatigue.
Regionally, we aim to establish ourselves as Asia’s leading sleep wellness brand, combining mindfulness, psychology, and evidence-based approaches to help individuals thrive.
Q: How do your motivation and commitment drive you to create a meaningful impact?
A: My motivation comes from my personal caregiving journey for my father, who had suffered from 3 strokes and subsequently vascular dementia. Witnessing the impact of poor sleep on his health and my own well-being as a caregiver gave me a firsthand understanding of the critical role sleep plays in mental and physical health.
Over a decade of teaching mindfulness to more than 10,000 individuals as the 2nd certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction teacher in Singapore, I’ve seen the transformative power of sleep. Every success story, like the client who overcame sleep anxiety and is now thriving, fuels my commitment to help others achieve the same.
For me, this is not just a business; it’s a deeply personal mission to help people live better by sleeping well.
Rethink Sleep, Rethink Performance
The way we sleep shapes the way we live. Yet, too many professionals continue to struggle in silence, unaware that transforming their sleep habits could unlock their full potential. The success stories of Eric Lim and Somnus Sleep Wellness reveal a powerful truth: when people reclaim their ability to rest, they experience sharper focus, greater emotional resilience, and a renewed sense of energy. The shift from simply “coping” to truly thriving begins with understanding the importance of rest as a strategic advantage, not a weakness.
Eric Lim’s journey—rooted in personal caregiving and years of expertise in mindfulness—proves that sleep wellness is more than just a business. It is a mission to redefine success, productivity, and mental well-being through better sleep. Whether it’s through personalized consultations, corporate collaborations, or the pioneering Somnus Mental Fitness Club, this movement is not just about fixing sleep issues—it’s about helping individuals take control of their health, mindset, and future.
So, if you’re caught in the cycle of exhaustion, it’s time to rethink your relationship with sleep. Better sleep isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity. And with the right guidance, like Eric Lim’s, achieving restorative rest is within reach.
Highlights
Read the article in Chinese here.
