Asians get least sleep due to high cultural demands

Researchers have found that young and middle-aged adults in Asia had the shortest sleep duration as compared to others and it may be happening because of the high cultural demands there.

Lack of sleep can lead to many health issues including fatigue, sudden weight loss, dark circles, anxiety, irritability, lack of focus, bodyache, hypertension and the list is endless. In this day and age, maintaining a proper sleep cycle is quite challenging considering the work-life, stress levels, poor lifestyle choices, addiction to technology, primarily phone screens. Lack of proper sleep also leads to a range of mental health issues. People who sleep less than seven hours each night are at higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease as well. The reasons for inadequate sleep are also increasing accordingly.

According to a new study, researchers have found that young and middle-aged adults in Asia had the shortest sleep duration as compared to others and it may be happening because of the high cultural demands there.

“Higher work and educational demands in Asian countries compared to the West likely explain the latter’s shorter sleep duration,” said M. Gradisar from Flinders University in Australia.

According to the researchers, young adults in Asia had the shortest sleep duration (6hr 30min), whereas those in Oceania (7hr 14min) and Europe, (7hr 7min) had the longest. Young adults in Central and Southern America and the Middle East also reported short sleep (6hr 40min).

“Our findings suggest that cultural factors likely impinge upon the sleep opportunity of young people around the world,” Gradisar said.

For the partilcuar study published in the journal Sleep Medicine, researchers compared the sleeping habits of 17,335 people who were asked to wear fitness trackers through which their 14-day sleep patterns were tracked.

(With inputs from IANS)

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