Sleep Habits from Around the World

Post by Tracy Kaler.

It may come as a surprise, but different cultures possess different sleep habits. Spend any time in other countries, and you’ll soon figure out that although everybody sleeps, we differ in our sleep habits and patterns.

In FRANCE, people sleep an average of 8.8 hours per night. Studies show that more sleep contributes to healthier, happier, and even thinner people, which might explain why the French spend so much time at the table eating but tend to be thinner than those in some other countries. Eating fresh food and skipping fast and processed food might also have something to do with that theory.

Folks in MEXICO like to keep their bedrooms tidy – 82% make their bed every morning, more than any other country in the study. And in the UK, one third of all Brits tend to sleep in the nude, which helps regulate body temperature.

According to the sleep tracking app, , Sleep Cycle, POLAND has the latest average bedtime at 12:55 a.m. SOUTH AFRICA has the earliest wake-up time at 6:24 a.m. and South Africans average only six hours of sleep a night because they hit the hay rather late at 12:20 a.m.

Many Mediterranean countries take siestas or midday naps, but even in SPAIN, that tradition isn’t as common as it once was.

A lot parents and babies around the world do sleep together. In fact, in some cultures, it’s unheard of to allow babies to sleep alone, so cosleeping is expected. Eventually, young children are weaned to sleep in their own beds.

Unfortunately for SINGAPORE and JAPAN, sleep deprivation is on the rise. In JAPAN however, SIDS and infant mortality rates are incredibly low, which might be attributed to the acceptance of cosleeping (children sharing a bed with parents). In the US, cosleeping is not as socially accepted as it is in some other countries.

Generally, few of us in the world are getting enough sleep on most days of the week. It turns out, though, that Sundays are the happiest mornings because most countries wake up feeling refreshed and in a great mood. At least we have that much in common.

Posted in Bedroom Design, Things We Like | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.