Sleep is one of the favourite things to do for most people. Good quality of sleep helps in many ways.
Have you ever wondered how sleeping habits vary from country to country?
You might have always thought sleep is a standard process followed up in every part of the world in a similar manner. Have a good dinner, spend quality time and doze off on the bed alone or with your partner.
Well, as simple as it sounds, it can be challenging. Sleeping is a normal body function required by every human to keep the wear and tear of the body perfectly working.
Although it's a standard process to be followed, it has got many changes in each part of the world due to changes in cultural features, different bedtime routines, time zones, work hours, lifestyles, the diet they consume, and the environment plays a part too.
Since every corner has varied options in all fields, it is common for people to adopt different sleep habits in a particular region. This article has brought together different sleep habits worldwide under one read.
Different Sleep Habits In Different Countries
Sleep habits are essential to determine a person's underlying behaviour. Sleep habits also can show the country's economic growth depending on the people's working hours.
The global surveys have provided data showing countries like Australia, the Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, and the UK rank at the top to complete sleep with an average of 8 to 8.5 hours per 24 hours. In contrast, Iceland is just too close in the complete sleep hour, with an average of 7.5 to 8 hours per 24 hours.
As the race is between completing sleep, many countries run in opposite directions. Developed economic countries like Japan and South Korea need more to complete good sleep.
People in developed economic countries experience less sleep than moderately developed economic countries. The studies at NIH show people in such countries only sleep for an average of 6 to 6.5 hours per 24 hours.
Conclusions are also that the problem of less sleep has given rise to the problem of Karoshi ( a phenomenon where people die from insufficient sleep).
China
follows many norms and traditions.
Sleep habits in china are based on many things like the position of the bed, placing other things in the bedroom, and the direction of the bed facing; it also gets affected due to the working hours.
There are specific rules and regulations while arranging a bedroom. Feng shui is the person who guides people on where beds should be placed in the house or bedroom.
People there strongly believe the position and direction of the bed affect sleep and health. The bigger your headboard of the bed, the better the luck; however, the wall to which the headboard is placed should not share the bathroom wall.
There should be no mirrors that reflect the bed.
Chinese also follow traditional medicinal compliments to help their sleep patterns. The people of China believe that the body starts the organ repairing process right after 11 pm and hence have declared 10:30 pm as the ideal bedtime.
The people here are too strict with their sleep habits and maintain the overall balance of healthy sleep.
China's economic culture has prolonged the working hours, which the people there have accepted by cutting off their sleeping hours.
Thus this results in less sleep for people. However, people can have short naps after lunchtime to refresh their minds and increase their concentration. Some offices in China have built nap rooms to help their employees. What a luxurious way of working!
Italy
The tradition of catching up on some sleep in the form of afternoon naps followed right after lunchtime is the sleep habit adopted in Italy.
People enjoy this grand feast of sleep between 2 to 4 hours daily. While it is habitual in northern Italy and appreciated, people from southern Italy partly call it an unprofessional and unproductive way to live.
We can call it catching up on the lost sleep since northern Italy has more remote areas than the southern part, and people here in the northern region follow the norm of waking up with the rise of dawn (approximately between 4 am to 5 am). Hence their body asks for a nap to complete the required sleep.
Germany
The sleep pattern in Germany for everyone is familiar, except for couples or siblings or for any two persons who share the same bed. Usually, a couple loves closeness, but Germany stands out of the box.
Here the couples prefer two personal-sized blankets instead of one large duvet sufficient for couple. People find it helpful in maintaining peace with those who are bed hogs. Also, two separate blankets let people have their personal space and quality sleep without often disturbing each other.
Iceland
Icelanders, or call them the real daredevil, leave their babies outside of any shop or restaurant to have a little nap in their strollers.
Icelanders are firm believers, and one such belief relates to the sleeping habit. They believe that sleeping outside in the surrounding of nature and covered in the environment helps them to prosper and have a healthy life.
While it is hard for adults to nap publically, you can easily spot many babies covered in duvets and packed up in strollers outside the shops sleeping peacefully.
The crime rate is minimal to no in Iceland, which gives the people safety assurance when the babies nap in open areas. It helps in lessening the concerns of anything going wrong.
Spain
Spain, along with all its natural beauty and business center, is also known for its globally known sleep habits. It is like a norm to be followed by everyone, from kids to adults, to have an afternoon sleep after lunch.
It is typically done between 2 pm to 4 pm and is known as Siesta. Siesta is the sleep habit for which working people are given breaks in the professional sector, and local businesses close down for a siesta. This ensures the excellent health of Spain's people and helps them to have reasonable bedtime globally.
UK
British people are too sweet in many areas, yet when you accidentally find them naked in bed, you don't get much shocked. People find it challenging to sleep appropriately with clothes on. However, the British have the habit of sleeping naked.
CTV news reports state that about 30 to 40 % of the UK's population sleeps naked during the nighttime, meaning nearly one-third of the UK is naked at night.
Japan
Though Japan has progressed and modernization has been its core strength, the people of Japan still practise old sleeping habits left behind by their ancestors. They have the norm of co-sleeping, where all the family members sleep in one room in the company of others.
The people of Japan practice inemuri to have a good sleep. Inemuri is the way people sleep with the present. As it is a developed economic country, people here have longer working hours and shortened sleep hours.
Surveys show that people in Japan on a night of average sleep for 6 to 6.4 hours per 24 hours, while the body requirement due to heavy work is around 7 to 8 hours per 24 hours.
Remote areas in Japan still practice sleeping on mats called futons. Futons are traditional mats made from rice straws directly placed on the ground. Japanese people are given respect if they doze off publically, as the person is considered a hard-working man.
Japan also has a particular criterion to place the head direction before sleeping. They believe placing your head in the north is a stroke of bad luck as the corpses are placed in the northern direction.
USA
Among other countries, the USA has different sleeping habits for different age groups. In the USA, toddlers and kids are made to sleep early so the parents can have a good time together.
Teenagers in the USA usually don't sleep early, as they are involved in certain activities after dinner. Like Argentine parents, they have late dinners that result in late sleeping times.
However, children are entirely allowed to have their required sleep and wake up late in the morning.
American adults have the sleep habit of sleeping with pets. According to Cision, every 3 out of 5 people own pets, and almost 70% of Americans prefer sleeping with their 3 pets.
Studies show how people around their pets feel relaxed; if they don't sleep continuously around their pets, they occasionally do it.
Norway
Norway has the least number of night hours during the spring. It is due to the midnight sun that the daylight hours get extended more. The sleeping habits of the Norwegian people are adjustable since they are familiar with the time changes.
You can easily find people cheerful and energetic despite the lack of sleep. However, travelers are not that adaptive to the changes in sleep patterns; subsequently, many hotels provide blackout curtains, sleep masks, or sound-resisting rooms, so the light sleepers complete most of their sleep.
Norwegian people enjoy the midnight sun as many of their festivals fall in the same period, and such festivals last until midnight, causing less sleep. But still, you won't find unhappy people there due to lack of sleep.
Mexico
People in Mexico say they have more sleep than people in other countries. This is because they keep their body relaxed or peaceful with the help of prayers.
Mexican people (more than 80% of the Mexican population are catholic) strongly believe in God, follow nighttime prayers and meditate before their sleep time.
This sleeping habit should be accepted worldwide. However, the medium through which you relax your body can be different, but the motto would remain the same, i.e. to achieve quality sleep.
Guatemala
Imagine if you help your child to get rid of nightmares with the help of dolls. Does it sound interesting? Guatemala has this sleep habit of training their kids to become brave.
The people here let their kids have dolls called worry dolls to help them, kids, if they are having nightmares or problems getting good sleep. Kids are trained to share their problems with the dolls, and thus kids get relaxed before bedtime.
As soon as the relaxation hits the body, children easily fall asleep because the brain shuts down slowly with the relaxation.
Sharing a worry doll is not only for kids; adults also practise this for mental relaxation.
The custom is highly practised in the highlands of Guatemala to ensure everyone gets sound and healthy sleep. The Mayans believe that too much worry-sharing creates problems for the worry dolls; hence, they rub their bellies to release the pressure from the dolls.
FAQs
Now that you know all about sleeping habits from around the world, let’s take a look at a few commonly asked questions.
Do You Find It Amusing?
Sleeping naked is now a common phenomenon, but other countries don't have such remarkable numbers on the charts.
Science says sleeping without clothes gives you sound and stress-free sleep and helps keep your body temperature stable. People find it too good to have a connection with their partners.
Do Worry Dolls Make A Cute Sleep Habit?
They believe rubbing the bellies gives relief to the worry dolls.
So here are some of the sleep habits followed in the various corners of the globe; while some sound weird and some sound interesting, every sleep habit is an outcome of the practices and lifestyle due to long years of continuous practice.
What Is The Best Sleeping Habit?
Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day is considered one of the healthiest sleeping habits. Creating a healthy bedtime routine and sticking to it ensures better sleep in addition to reduced laziness and unproductivity.
Wrap Up
From siesta naps in Spain and sleeping on the floor in Japan to taking afternoon naps with a view of Lake Titicaca, it’s clear that there are many unique sleep habits around the world. While some may be more comfortable than others, all these customs show how cultures can vary greatly when it comes to getting their rest in an ideal environment. Whether you prefer snuggling up in your own bed or going for an outdoor nap under a tree, everyone can benefit from exploring different ways people get their shut-eye! So grab your pillow, turn off the lights and say goodnight to sweet dreams as we explore fascinating sleep habits from around the globe.
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