Australians are being urged to take action in getting a better night’s sleep, after a new survey found that more than one third of Aussies report their quality of sleep has declined in the last year due to financial pressures.
The results of sleep product manufacturer, ResMed’s 2023 Global Sleep Survey – conducted to mark World Sleep Day on March 17th – showed that 52% of Aussies also reported that stress had been affecting their sleep since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
According to the survey, only 10% of Aussies wake up feeling refreshed and almost half (42%) of Australians usually feel tired after waking up in the morning, which of the 12 nations surveyed was higher than all but France (44%).
The survey found the average Aussie is getting only 6.9 hours of sleep a night, which is less than almost all the other countries survey except Japan (6.5 hours) and the UK (6.8 hours).
Dr Moira Junge, CEO at Sleep Health Foundation said, “The Sleep Health Foundation’s core work is to raise the awareness of the importance of sleep. Sleep is an essential pillar of health alongside diet and exercise”.
“While we sleep many important functions take place that help the body to repair itself. Sleep also supports brain function and improves memory and mood. We urge the community and the government to take sleep seriously.”
Lack of sleep and disrupted sleep can have serious short-term consequences on physical and mental health, including increased stress, reduced quality of life, emotional distress, mood swings, a decrease in cognitive memory and performance,” she said.
Millions of Australians who experience poor sleep also experience health issues as a result of poor sleep night after night. Long-term effects of sleep loss and sleep disorders like obstructive sleep apnea have been associated with a wide range of health consequences including an increased risk of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, depression, heart attack, and stroke.
Tim Stephenson, a sleep physiologist at ResMed said, “It’s worrying that only 1-in-10 Aussies are waking up feeling refreshed, as our body and mind depend on a good night’s sleep for physical and mental health.4 At ResMed we believe that healthcare begins with self-care, and we have a goal to help people sleep, breathe and live healthier, high-quality lives by helping them understand how to improve their restful state and creating access to treatments and solutions for overall health.”
Australians experiencing insufficient sleep or poor sleep quality, can take ResMed’s online sleep assessment www.resmed.com.au/awakenyourbest to help them better understand their risk for sleep apnea and to provide resources on how to improve their sleep health.
