Individuals in Asia have poorer sleep compared to people living in North America and Europe, latest research indicates.
A new study has found that people from Asia go to sleep later and sleep for a shorter amount of time compared to those in other continents.
In addition, their sleeping patterns are more variable in the week, and they do not get extra sleep at the weekend like most people in other parts of the world do.
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During the year-long study, the team of researchers examined the sleep data of more than 220,000 users of the Oura Ring – a sleep tracker that measures both your body temperature and heart rate viability.
They found that individuals living in Asia sleep less and display higher variability in both sleep timing and duration during the week.
Additionally, they discovered that people from Asia go to sleep at a later time than those from Europe, North America and Oceania.
People living in Asia are more likely to have lower sleep efficiency due to lifestyle factors such as work-related anxiety, the study has reported.
Prior research has found that people who work longer hours are more likely to have shorter sleep compared to those who do not work for as long.
Top author Dr Adrian Willoughby said: “In Europe, weekends are generally considered time for relaxation, and engaging in social activities with friends and family.
“In Asia, however, people may use the weekends to catch up on work, do the things they didn’t have time for during the week or attend to more family responsibilities.”
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He added: “We think that longer working hours and the difference in work culture in Asia means that people don’t catch up on sleep as much at the weekends but try to catch up whenever they have the opportunity over the course of the week.”
Fellow researcher Professor Michael Chee said: “Sleep is a significant issue to address, especially for people living is Asia, who seem to sleep less than other global regions.
“Access to such a large dataset has allowed us to have unique insights into global sleep patterns. This research enables us to work towards our goal of giving customised sleep advice that considers individual sleep needs, environment factors and larger socio-cultural pressures that affect sleep.”
He concluded: “We want people to practise sleep routines that fit different contexts, but also promote health, wellbeing and performance.”
To read the study, click here.
