Do you know an average person takes 7 minutes to fall asleep? Know such amazing stats about sleep in our Sleep Statistics. Let’s go!
Sleep is a basic human necessity, much like eating and drinking, and is crucial for the overall health and individual well-being. Researches show that a human being spends up to 1/3rd of their lives sleeping.
As recommended by health experts, an adult needs an optimum level of 7-9 hours to rest each night to lead a healthy and happy life. Like any other human activity, sleep depravity or poor-quality sleep has a consequential negative impact on the health of human beings.
But, sadly, many struggles to get enough sleep at night daily around the world.
It is a known fact that sleep affects different health indicators, from healthier aging to better mental well-being to weight management to improved heart health.
Apart from that sleeping disorder also affects the productivity of individuals in the long run. Most people often tend to sacrifice sleep to squeeze in more work or suffer from poor quality sleep due to stress and other lifestyle preferences.
But, the fact is, lack of sleep has detrimental effects on human health and productivity as well.
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- Research has shown that the average person takes about 7 minutes to fall asleep. (Psychecentral)
- Electronic devices such as television, gaming consoles, and computer, is an essential part of the lives of present-day youngsters, are observed to affect sleep quality. (ijcm)
- Snoring disrupts your sleep and poses many other serious health risks such as headaches, heart diseases, drop in blood oxygen levels, strokes and other mental health concerns. (ResMed)
- Internet overuse is associated with Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS), and other sleep problems. (IJPsy)
- Individuals with anxiety disorders are at a higher risk of having symptoms of sleep disorder. (Sciencedirect)
- India is the 2nd most sleep-deprived country on the planet, closely ranking behind Japan. (TimesofIndia)
- As per a sleep study conducted reports that India lags on sleep, with an average person clocking in around 7 hours and 1 minute of sleep regularly. (IndiaToday)
- 55% of Indians think they sleep adequately. However, 73 per cent still want to improve the quality of their sleep. (Biospectrumindia)
- Indians get 77 minutes of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep on average, which is the lowest in the world same as Japanese, accounting for the similar amount of average REM sleep. Rapid eye movement sleep is suggested to be a vital aspect associated with emotion regulation, memory, and the peak stage of protein synthesis at the cellular level. All this assures that multiple processes in the body to work properly. (BusinessToday)
- 51 per cent of people in India go to sleep between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m.; 16 per cent of people across India believe they have insomnia; 48 per cent of people complain of back problems nationwide; 80 per cent of people feel sleepy at work 1-3 days a week. (EconomicTimes)
- In regards to sleep quality, 70% of the nurses working in shifts reported having poor quality of sleep, whereas only 30% of the nurses reported having a sound quality of sleep. (ijpn)
- Data on shift workers show that 85% of the people are unable to set off or maintain sound sleep, 75% do not feel refreshed after sleep, 68% suffer from acidity, and 66% are addicted to caffeine while 35% are addicted to cigarettes. (FinancialExpress)
- New estimates indicate that nearly 1 billion adults around the world have mild to severe obstructive (OSA) sleep apnoea, about half of whom have moderate to severe disease. (Healio)
- According to GlobalData, the global sleeping disorders market is worth over $1.5bn and is expected to reach over $1.7bn by 2023. (GlobalData)
- The prevalence of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) by aponea-hypopnea index (AHI) criteria in rural India is 3.73%, which amounts to 36.34 million individuals suffering from OSA. (ResMed)
- 61% of people agree that their memory is worse when they do not sleep well enough. (Philips’ 2020)
- 60% of people agreeing (somewhat or completely) that they are interested in new information or strategies to help them get better sleep. (Philips’ 2020)
- The prevalence of sleepwalking in the general population is estimated to be between 1% and 15%. (NSP)
- Indian users in the age group of 75-90 got the lowest sleep, which is only 6 hours 35 minutes on average, compared to other age groups. (EconomicTimes)
- 70% of adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) take longer than one hour trying to fall asleep. (newlifeoutlook.ADHD)
- Sleep deprivation creates a misbalance in digestive hormones, leptin and ghrelin, as well. (NCBI)
- A person without excessive sleepiness should fall asleep in five to 15 minutes on average. If it takes longer than 20 to 30 minutes, this may be a sign of insomnia. (FDA)
Habits Leading to Bad Quality Sleep
While most of the people know how important sleep is to our health, most of them may not realize that they are making bad choices and developed habits that are keeping them awake at night. Long sleepless days and nights can trigger severe psychological disorders like hallucinations, paranoia, depression, anxiety, impulsive behaviour and bipolar disorder etc. It is crucial to avoid habits that lead to bad quality sleep or sleep deprivation.
- Alcohol consumption in India amounted to about 5.4 billion litters in 2016 and was estimated to reach about 6.5 billion litters by 2020. (Statista)
- Approx 64% of Indians say that they don’t exercise. While nearly 46% of people say that leading a healthy lifestyle is their top priority, but only 37% of them actually exercise. (Mintel)
- 47% of the people tend to sleep on their stomachs or on their side in India, while experts suggest that the ideal sleeping position is to lie down on your back. (EconomicTimes)
- An Indian adult on average drinks 2 cups of chai/tea a day and 30 cups of tea are consumed in India for every cup of coffee. (EconomicTimes)
- 27% of millennial stay up at night streaming shows and binge-watching, and there is a 10% increase in addiction of binge-watching over the past year. (EconomicTimes)
Tips to Get Quality Sleep
As the data shows that unhealthy habits and lifestyle choices can leave you tossing and turning in the night, which adversely affect the mood, weight, mental and overall health. But, instead of going for supplements and other sleep pills, check the data listed below and making better lifestyle choices to improve the quality of your sleep.
- Exercise can contribute to more sound and restful sleep. People who engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise may see a difference in sleep quality that same night. (NCBI)
- 31 per cent of Indians meditate to help them sleep well, higher than the global average of 26 per cent. (TheQuint)
- Due to the rise in awareness level on ‘Sleep-Health’, 38% of Indian adults say that their sleep has improved in the past 5 years, the highest number of all countries. (TheQuint)
- Studies suggest that people with irregular sleeping patterns reported poor quality of sleep. So maintain better sleep cycle especially on the weekends to get quality sleep at night. (PubMed)
- Bedroom environment is reported to be a key factor that facilitates good night’s sleep. The factors like, heat, light and noise exposure can disrupt the sleep. (PubMed)
- Limiting naps and if consider taking naps, limit them to not more than 20-30 minutes. A 30-minute nap can improve alertness. (SleepFoundation)
Sleep Tight, Live Right
When it comes to getting consistent good sleep, sleep hygiene should be maintained properly. Get into a regular routine of going to bed and waking up at the same time every day. Have light food before going to bed at night. Try to resolve your worries or concerns before bedtime and scribble down the unresolved ones for the next day.
If you are practicing sleep hygiene and still not getting comfortable sleep at night, seek someone’s help or consider consulting a doctor. Identifying and getting any underlying causes treated can help you get the better sleep at night and live a life you deserve.