Beijingers have the earliest average wake-up time among cities in China, while over 60 percent of the post-90s generation suffer from a lack of sleep, according to a survey to mark World Sleep Day.
The study by the Sleep Medicine Committee at the Chinese Medical Doctor Association showed Chinese born between 1990 to 2000 generally didn't sleep well. In terms of sleep quality, nearly 30 percent called it "bad", 33.3 said they are "restless" and 12 percent "sleepless." Only 5.1 percent thought their sleep is "sweet" and 19.4 percent "comfortable."
The post-90s generation generally slept 7.5 hours on average, below the "healthy sleep" time. The survey also showed 30.9 percent needed half an hour to fall to sleep and 0.9 percent had to take medicine to sleep.
A further look at sleep patterns revealed 31.1 percent of participants sleep late and get up late, 30.9 percent fall to sleep late but get up early, and 61.9 percent wake up due to a clock or noise. A little over 28 percent said they wake up naturally.
The study showed Shanghai locals sleep the earliest and Shenzhen residents the latest while Beijingers get up the earliest and people in Zhuhai city in southern Guangdong Province the latest.
In terms of occupation, programmers were most likely to be sleepless, followed by blue-collar workers, sales persons and people working in consultancies. Owners of online stores and Internet celebrities also lack quality sleep.
With the release of the survey, a team led by Dr. Lu Lin published research showing a growing risk of depression among the elderly who also reported sleeping difficulties. It's also suggested that enough sleep can help reduce the risk of Alzheimer's Disease.
