Andy Franklet literally woke up on top of the world last week.
He was flown by wellness brand Healtheries to Costa Rica for a head-to-head beyond anyone’s wildest dreams, a ‘sleep-off’ against one of nature’s prominent dozers, a two-toed sloth.
Healtheries earlier had a lidless eye to find Aotearoa’s king or queen sleeper for the all-expenses-paid world novelty.
Applicants were required to enter a short video showcasing their sleep routines, and Healtheries says Andy, who graduated from Nelson College in 2018, embraced the competition’s “creative tone” and had the confidence for competitive shut-eye in the Central American nation.
A time of four hours and 58 minutes was set by the nocturnal tree-dweller named Helga for Andy to outsleep, a lower benchmark given that two-toed sloths can average eight to 10 hours daily.
In a bed at Helga’s wildlife sanctuary residence on the fringes of the capital, San Jose, Andy strapped on an eye mask and his head hit the pillow at around 9pm local time (3pm NZT on 10 September), with a camera at his bedside livestreaming his big sleep on Instagram.
He was awakened by a Healtheries representative to confetti at around 2.30am the next morning after ticking over Helga’s time, declaring Andy the supreme sleeper.
Andy says he can “truly rest easy” being the world’s best.
“It’s pretty unusual, but it’s the coolest thing. I’ve had the most amazing experience all around,” he says.
“I’ve had the most hilarious time trying to explain it to anyone that I won this competition, and I’m going to Costa Rica to outsleep a sloth. I’m sure the sloth might make a comeback one day, but for right now we’re bringing the trophy home to New Zealand.”
Andy’s mother Barbara, a local artist, says her son was “a born sleeper” with no bedtime battles, although Andy sought additional comfort for D-Day from a sleep clinician and was provided with Healtheries products like chamomile tea.
“Starting from the beginning, at least for adjusting to the different time zone, you can make your bedtime an hour earlier or an hour later every day to adjust… so I started trying to go to sleep a bit earlier in New Zealand,” he says.
“Then, on a daily basis, wake up in the morning, try and get some natural light, and then go about your day, get a bit of exercise, and before going to sleep try not to eat.
“The main takeaway for me was that the important bit for your sleep is not being too stimulated, too stressed out when you actually hit the sack.”
He recommended having a chat with someone or writing something down before you go to sleep.”
Andy even had a stare down with Helga before their duel.
“Helga looked very placid and flared her nostrils a little bit, so it was hard to be too intimidating,” he says.
“Maybe she was just getting in my head, but she looked pretty unfazed by the whole thing.”
Andy currently lives in Wellington after graduating from the University of Canterbury with a law degree in 2024, and he’ll be admitted to the bar on 19 September. From famously lying down to rest, to laying down the law and resting his cases.
