Overview
Discover the link between sleep and wellness
Humans spend about one-third of their lives sleeping, so it’s crucial to understand why sleep is essential. Discover the science behind why the body needs sleep, proper sleep hygiene, the physiology of sleep, as well as the physical and psychological impacts of lack of sleep and insomnia. Explore first line treatment and strategies for sleep deprivation and insomnia, as well interventions for sleep disorders, including behavioural practices and clinical treatments.
- Earn a microcredential for each course to showcase the specific skills you’ve learned, and complete all online courses to receive a Certificate of Completion recognizing your overall learning achievement
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Program Highlights
- Fully online courses to fit your life
- Taught by instructors with industry expertise
- Open enrolment program

What you'll learn Learn More
- Science of why the human body requires sleep
- Physical, psychological, emotional and cognitive impacts of sleep and a lack of sleep
- Best practices for sleep
What you'll learn - Learn More
- Recognize the science of why the human body requires sleep
- Define physical, psychological, emotional and cognitive impacts of sleep and a lack of sleep
- Recount best practices for sleep
- Explain effective sleep hygiene and how to implement it
- Plan first line sleep strategies
- Distinguish between sleep disorders, sleep issues and sleep deprivation
- Describe the factors that impact sleep
- Assess various physical and psychological interventions for sleep disorders
- Create a treatment plan to address sleep issues and disorders
Expandable List
- Individuals seeking to expand their offerings in health care and the Health and Wellness industry
- Professionals already working in a wellness, lifestyle, or healthcare based field who are seeking to learn the science of sleep and improving sleep. This group of professionals includes, but is not limited to:
- Nutritionists and Dietitians
- Health and Wellness Coaches
- Addictions Counsellors
- Social Workers, Psychologists, Psychotherapists Occupational Therapists and Counsellors
- Massage Therapists, Holistic Wellness Practitioners
- Integrative and Functional Medicine practitioners
- Fitness Professionals – Personal trainers, Pilates instructors, Yoga teachers
- Mind-body medicine practitioners
- Meditation & Mindfulness Teachers, Energy Healers
- Anyone wanting to improve their sleep!
Increase your clinical offerings, be more equipped to work with individuals wanting to improve their sleep.
- Recognize the science of why the human body requires sleep
- Define physical, psychological, emotional and cognitive impacts of sleep and a lack of sleep
- Recount best practices for sleep
- Explain effective sleep hygiene and how to implement it
- Plan first line sleep strategies
- Distinguish between sleep disorders, sleep issues and sleep deprivation
- Describe the factors that impact sleep
- Assess various physical and psychological interventions for sleep disorders
- Create a treatment plan to address sleep issues and disorders
Other programs you may be interested in
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Certificate in Sleep for Health and Wellness
Sleep for Health and Wellness program
Earn a certificate of completion and receive a microcredential highlighting the skills you’ve gained
Explore course options below and register today!
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Earn a Certificate of Completion
Upon successfully completing both courses for this program, you will receive a digital certificate of completion recognizing your learning achievement. Complete with details of the skills and specialized knowledge you have acquired, your credential is digitally shareable, making it easy to add to your resume, LinkedIn profile and to share with current or prospective employers.
Courses
Upon successfully completing an online course in this program, you will receive a microcredential recognizing your learning achievement for each course. Completion of both courses will earn the digital certificate of completion.
Note: SHW 102: Exploring Interventions for Sleep Issues and Disorders will be launching Fall of 2025.
SHW 102
Exploring Interventions for Sleep Issues and Disorders
(Currently Not Available)
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Sleep for Health and Wellness Schedule
Sleep for Health and Wellness course schedules to help you plan your academic year.
Registration: Fall and Winter terms open in mid-July and Spring term opens in mid-March.
Program Requirements: Review certificate or diploma tab.
Time Zone: Courses run in the Eastern Time (ET) Zone.
Course Fees: A McMaster Part Time Student fee is included in the cost of academic credit courses. There is no tax on courses unless indicated at the bottom of the schedule chart.
Additional Fees: New students pay a one-time, non-refundable $39 activation fee for their first academic-credit course. Not every program or course requires textbooks. Learn more about textbooks.
Learning Formats: Each course is offered in Online, Online Self-Study, or Virtual Classroom formats, as shown below. Visit Learning Formats for details.
Course Name (Course Code) | Cost | Units | Fall 2024 | Winter 2025 | Spring/Summer 2025 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Understanding Sleep for Health and Wellness (SHW 101) | $325.00 | — | — | May 12 - Jun 29 Format: Online | |
Exploring Interventions for Sleep Issues and Disorders (SHW 102) | - | - | Currently Not Available |
The schedule table is subject to change. Please visit the course pages to browse classes currently available for registration and the latest cost information.
Admission Requirements
Admission Requirements
This program is open enrolment, which means there is no formal application or admission procedure. To enrol in a course, simply register online. Our courses can be taken as part of a program or individually.
To enrol in McMaster Continuing Education programs, you must:
- Have an Ontario Secondary School Diploma or equivalent
- Be a mature student as defined in the Undergraduate Calendar of McMaster University or
- Be deemed an exceptional case
To ensure you are successful in your online courses, you are required to have knowledge and skills with general computer applications, such as keyboarding, file management, video conferencing and word processing.
Language Requirements
If your first language is not English, you must meet the University’s English language proficiency requirements. Completion of TOEFL exam with a minimum acceptable score of 20 on each of the four components (reading, writing, speaking and listening), valid for 2 years.
Expandable List
- Visit continuing.mcmaster.ca/programs to find your program of choice
- Click on each tab on the program page to learn about credential options and requirements, schedule and fees, and a list of all courses in the program
- Select a course and then select an available offering, noting important information such as cost, delivery format, and start/end dates; then click ‘add to cart’
- Once you have added your courses, click the shopping cart icon at the top right-hand corner of the page (bottom of the browser screen on mobile)
- Review your cart and, once you’re ready to proceed with enrolment, click ‘proceed to checkout’
- As the next step, you will be redirected to Mosaic – McMaster’s Administrative Information and Enrolment system
- Once you are in Mosaic, select ‘new to McMaster’ or log in with your existing MacID and password (if applicable)
- Complete all required fields and select a program of study when prompted (i.e., a specific program or open studies for standalone courses)
- Finally, payment is required in full to secure a spot in your course(s)
A payment receipt email will be issued to you immediately after registering, and a course confirmation email will be sent to you overnight. Within approximately 24 hours of registering, you will also receive an important email containing credentials used to activate your MacID, which you must do before you can access courses in Avenue to Learn. Please review our Getting Started page to learn more about the next steps for beginning your studies after registration, and our Help Centre for our Refund Policy and other frequently asked questions. Please note that on average, each course requires 6-8 hours of study per week, per course (sometimes more) and some courses may have listed prerequisites. Please plan your schedule accordingly. Most students take 1-2 courses per term across a few different terms and a full-time equivalent course load is typically 3-4 courses per term.
For more information and a walkthrough on how to register, please check out this video.
- Payment must be made in full at the time of enrolment
- Online credit card or debit payments are preferred
- Accepted credit cards: Visa, MasterCard and American Express
- Accepted debit cards: Visa Debit and Debit Mastercard
- Google Pay is available for faster checkout
- Payments can be made from a Canadian Financial Institution and can take 2 to 4 business days to arrive in your McMaster student account. Once payment has arrived, you can register for your course. Please note that if the amount of the course fees owing is more than what was transferred to your student account, you will be dropped from the course.
- Problem processing your payment? Please reach out to your credit card company if your payment was declined. Otherwise, wait two hours before attempting your registration again.
Ready to get started?
Visit the Schedule tab to select your course and proceed with the registration steps.