Philips celebrates World Sleep Day with the release of its global sleep survey results

“About 40% of Australians surveyed recognised that a bad night of sleep impacts a number of aspects of their brain functioning, including concentration (35 percent), motivation (43 percent) and mood (38 percent). The challenge for researchers in this rapidly expanding field is to develop innovative and effective solutions to help people identify and manage poor sleep, including sleep disorders as well as lifestyle-driven practices."

Key findings of the survey include:

• We still aren’t prioritising sleep: The survey found that the majority of Australian adults (71 percent) view sleep’s impact on their overall health and wellbeing to be significant. However, when it came down to incorporating healthy sleep habits into their lifestyle, the guilt felt for not regularly (i.e. 3-4 times a week) exercising (51 percent) or not eating healthy (38 percent) far surpassed the guilt associated with not maintaining good sleep habits (26 percent).
• We face barriers to good sleep – and impacts from bad sleep: Over 5 in 10 Australian adults (53 percent) have some kind of medical issue that impacts their sleep, with almost 2 in 10 adults reporting insomnia, chronic pain and snoring (all 16 percent). Worrying has kept over half of Australian adults up at night in the past 3 months (51 percent), followed by illness/physical discomfort (27 percent), and technology distractions (21 percent). After a bad night’s sleep, Australian adults report they aren’t as motivated (52 percent), they look tired (49 percent), they are moody/irritable (46 percent), or they can’t concentrate (42 percent).
• We’re willing to make an effort: In Australia, over 6 in 10 adults (63 percent) have tried to improve their sleep in some way. Collectively, many have turned to soothing music (21 percent) or instituting a set bedtime/wake-up schedule (18 percent). Interestingly, different countries have tried different methods. Australians and Americans are more likely to take prescription sleep aids (US: 17 percent, Australia: 18 percent) to improve their sleep. In contrast, one of the top methods Indian adults have turned to is meditation (45 percent), while one of the top methods used by Polish and Chinese adults is improving their air quality (33 percent and 31 percent), and Mexican, Indian and Chinese adults have tried specialised bedding (24 percent, 24 percent and 31 percent).
• Millennials think differently about sleep: Throughout the global results, one outlier presented itself in adults ages 18 – 24. Despite being less likely to follow a set bedtime compared to other generations (38 percent vs. 47 percent of those ages 25+), this group reported getting more sleep each night, on average, than other age groups (ages 18-24 get an average of 7.2 hours, compared to 6.9 hours among those ages 25+). They are also more likely to feel guilty about not regularly maintaining good sleep habits as compared to those ages 35+ (35 percent vs. 26 percent). Adults ages 18 -24 are also most likely to have done something in order to improve their sleep compared to those ages 25+ (86 percent vs. 75 percent).

“Thus inadequate sleep can have an immediate impact on our wellbeing unlike exercise or diet. This survey shows that despite knowing sleep is important to overall health, people are still struggling to address it in the same way they would exercise or nutrition. The more we understand how sleep impacts everything we do, the better we can adjust our lifestyle and find solutions that help us get better sleep.”

To further amplify this message, Philips has recently co-sponsored the immersive, overnight sleep experience performed by critically acclaimed, international composer Max Richter at SXSW in Austin, Texas on March 12. The concert, which began at midnight and ran until 8:30 a.m. on March 13, saw Richter and a string ensemble perform the entire eight-hour lullaby that was composed to aid relaxation, meditation and sleep.

Philips brought together influencers from all over the world in the days before the concert, asking “what happens when you don’t get enough sleep?” The international group of strangers went on tour from Los Angeles to Austin, completing sleep-related challenges and sharing their views on sleep, while learning the ways that Philips is committed to making life better by empowering the world to get a good night’s sleep along the way.

Beyond raising awareness through education about the importance of sleep, Philips is innovating sleep solutions rooted in clinical evidence and technical data that work together to promote better health – from clinical solutions designed to better manage sleep apnoea, to modern technology designed to help people start their days naturally. To view additional findings from this year or past year’s global survey, visit: Philips.com/WorldSleepDay. For more information on Philips’ advanced solutions for sleep and respiratory care, follow @PhilipsResp or visit www.sleepapnea.com.

1- http://www.stopbang.ca/osa/prevalence.php

2- M. LeBlanc, S. Beaulieu-Bonneau, C. Mérette, J. Savard, H. Ivers, and C. M. Morin, “Psychological and health-related quality of life factors associated with insomnia in a population-based sample,” Journal of Psychosomatic Research, vol. 63, no. 2, pp. 157–166, 2007. View at Publisher · View at Google Scholar · View at Scopus

3- Ohayon MM et al. Correlates of global sleep satisfaction in the psychiatric diagnosis categories. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2002; 56: 239-240