Experts Interpret the “2024 Chinese Residents’ Sleep Health White Paper”
China Youth Daily·China Youth Daily trainee reporter Tan Sijing reporter Qi Zheng
On March 16, the China Sleep Research Association released the World Sleep Day 2024 China annual theme “Healthy Sleep for Everyone” in Beijing. At the meeting, experts interpreted the “2024 White Paper on Sleep Health of Chinese Residents” (hereinafter referred to as the “White Paper”).
The survey research of the “White Paper” was launched in February 2024. The data is based on a study of the sleep conditions of more than 10,000 users of a health app. The main user groups include students, office workers, retired employees, and other groups.
“Low-quality sleep” is more common
The “White Paper” data shows that the overall sleep quality of the respondents is poor and the overall sleep score is low. The average sleep duration of the respondents was 6.75 hours, the average time to fall asleep was 00:01, and the average number of wake-ups (per night) was 1.4 times. 59% of the respondents had insomnia symptoms, and half of the respondents had insufficient sleep duration at night. “Low-quality sleep” is becoming a common problem, seriously affecting people’s daily life.
Huang Zhili, Chairman of the Chinese Sleep Research Association and Distinguished Professor of Fudan University, believes that there are many factors that affect sleep. Difficulty falling asleep occasionally or poor sleep quality is not a sleep problem. Insomnia requires intervention and treatment as soon as possible.
“Young people are the main force staying up late”
Data from the “White Paper” shows that the main sleep disturbances of respondents include waking up easily/early, difficulty falling asleep, and going to the toilet at night. The main problem for those born in the 00s and 90s is difficulty falling asleep. Data from the “White Paper” shows that nearly half of the people surveyed fall asleep after midnight, and young people become the main force who stay up late.
We also need to be vigilant about the younger trend of sleep apnea syndrome. According to the “White Paper” data, people with a higher risk of sleep apnea sleep less often. 53% of the respondents are at a higher risk of sleep apnea, and they sleep an average of 43 minutes less per day than those with a lower risk. One-third of young respondents born in the 1990s and 2000s are at high risk of sleep apnea.
“Do you have any of these unhealthy sleeping habits?”
Office workers and college students go to bed later and wake up even later on non-working days. Among those surveyed, office workers slept 6.8 hours at night on non-working days, fell asleep at an average of 23:55, and woke up at an average of 7:39 in the morning. College students sleep for 7.48 hours at night on non-working days, fall asleep at an average of 00:48, and wake up at an average of 9:19 in the morning.
In view of the situation of young people “staying up late with revenge on working days and catching up on sleep on rest days”, Liu Yanjiao, chief physician of the Psychological Sleep Department of Guang’anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, said in an interview with reporters from China Youth Daily and China Youth Daily that it is not recommended to stay up late after staying up late. Sleep enough for 8 hours during the day to catch up on sleep, and it is not recommended to catch up on sleep during non-working days. This will disrupt the sleep rhythm and make it more likely to cause insomnia.
“People who drink frequently have shorter sleep duration and lower sleep quality.”
Among those surveyed, drinkers slept an average of 27 minutes less per night than non-drinkers. The higher the frequency of drinking, the lower the quality of sleep.
Gao Xiang, dean of the Institute of Nutrition at Fudan University, said when talking about the drinking problem: “Alcohol is the earliest known sleep-aid drink in the world, but does drinking really help sleep? We conducted a study on the community populations. The survey found that alcohol can indeed help you fall asleep, but it can lead to a decrease in sleep quality. Drinking alcohol can easily cause fragmented sleep at night, nightmares, etc.”
“Being overweight can also affect sleep quality.”
As body mass index (BMI) increases, the proportion of respondents with sleep scores greater than 80 points gradually decreases. When the BMI is greater than or equal to 28, only 21% of the respondents have a sleep score higher than 80 points. Han Junhua, secretary-general of the Chinese Nutrition Society, pointed out that excessive obesity will affect sleep quality, so it is recommended to maintain the body mass index (BMI) at 19-24.
High-quality sleep needs to meet three necessary conditions: first, the timing of sleep is good, and falling asleep around 10 p.m. is the best time; second, the duration of sleep is appropriate, and the normal adult’s night sleep duration should be 7-8 hours, occasionally when you wake up, you can fall asleep quickly; thirdly, your sleep quality is high, and you wake up feeling refreshed and energetic.
Healthy sleep requires the joint attention of the whole society. Huang Zhili emphasized that sleep problems are not only a medical problem but also a social problem that affects people’s health, work efficiency, family happiness, and social harmony. It is urgent to attach importance to sleep health and strengthen popular science education.