You Could Finally Spend the Night (Legally) at Your Local IKEA Store

For some people, IKEA is a bit like a nightmare, with the never-ending trek through mountains of flatpack furniture and that ever-elusive exit point. But for others, apparently, it's the stuff of sweet dreams, a haven of relaxation and the ultimate destination for a good night's shut-eye.

If you're in the latter camp, you'll be all about the Swedish furniture giant's new Aussie competition, which'll see a handful of (lucky?) IKEA fans each win a sleepover experience at their local store. Yep, they'll get the once-in-a-lifetime chance to snuggle up and spend the night in a huge furniture warehouse (legally).

The quirky competition is supposedly being held to highlight the importance of getting a good night's sleep, after IKEA's research showed that as many as one third of Australians struggle regularly with sleep issues. It's also a pretty good plug for IKEA's Complete Sleep Studio, which currently exists at its NSW Tempe store and is being rolled out across others in the coming months.

Dubbed Wake Up With IKEA, the event is being hosted across six participating stores, at North Lakes and Logan in Queensland, Rhodes and Tempe in NSW, Canberra and Adelaide, with the sleepover prize going to one couple or family for each venue. Winners will also receive a $2000 Ikea Gift Card (you could buy 167 bags of meatballs with this).

Winners will get to spend the night in their own high-tech tailored 'sleep zone'. Think, comfy mattress, your own choice of linen, and a pillow and 'sensory elements' optimised for your best shut-eye yet. To get you in the mood for some serious snoozing, you'll also score a program of pre-sleep activities, including dinner (meatballs, we hope), a movie, massages, tips and techniques from a sleep expert, and some all-important bedtime snacks. Breakfast in bed the next morning rounds out the fun.

If you're not creeped out by the idea of all that, you can enter the competition by heading to a participating store — Logan (Qld), North Lakes (Qld), Rhodes (NSW), Tempe (NSW), Canberra (ACT) and Adelaide (SA) — on Saturday, February 23 or Sunday, February 24 and sharing why you fancy a better night's sleep with IKEA, in 25 words or less. You can check out all the terms and conditions here.