Filipinos most sleepless people in Asia, 4th in the world — study

 

Deni Rose M. Afinidad-Bernardo - Philstar.com

MANILA, Philippines — Did you know that Filipinos are the most sleepless people in Asia? 

According to the 2023 study of consumer research and data analytics company Milieu Insight, Philippines had the most people in Asia (56%) who had less than seven hours of sleep per day, followed by Thailand (49%), Indonesia (44%), Vietnam (43%), Singapore (42%) and Myanmar (39%). 

The same study claimed that Filipinos are also the fourth in the world to be lacking in sleep.

A sleep tracking application, Sleep Cycle, showed from its survey that Filipino adults only get an average of six hours and 30 minutes per day of sleep.

Harvard Medical School recommended at least seven hours of “quality” sleep for every person, no matter what the age, for body restoration and to prevent higher risk of acquiring diseases such as Diabetes, stroke, heart disease, and mental health problems like depression and anxiety. 

Last December, a video of a three-year-old Filipino child sleeping in an Ikea showroom bed went viral, with over 4.5 million views on TikTok.

In its new campaign, “Wake up! It’s time to sleep,” the Swedish lifestyle brand features three different customers falling asleep at their showroom, including the three-year-old girl. The campaign aims to call on Filipinos to give more attention to having better sleep. It also encourages Filipino customers to experience sleep solutions before purchasing at its showroom in Pasay City.

According to the brand’s Life at Home Report 2023, 44% of Filipinos consider sleeping as the main driver of nurturing at home. Understanding how vital sleep is to Filipinos, the brand offers sleep solutions focused on different elements that contribute to better sleep — from comfort, to light, temperature, sound, air quality, and organization. 

Feeling comfortable is a basic need for achieving “quality” sleep. In a comfortable bed, the right mattress and pillow are important for a good night’s sleep. Among the good mattresses that Ikea recommends are Åfjäll foam mattress or firm ones like Valevåg Pocket spring mattress. While for ergonomic pillows, options include Mjölkklocka, which has memory foam for full comfort whether you’re a side or a back sleeper. 

In general, the darker the bedroom, the better it is for sleep quality. Dimmable lights like the Tärnaby table lamp are a great way to get yourself ready for sleep. Even better are lights that you can dim and turn on and off from a distance using the Trådfri remote control kit. 

Key for a good night’s sleep is a comfortable indoor temperature no matter the season or climate. As such, the brand offers a wide range of cooling pads and pillows. The best-selling Klubbsporre ergonomic pillow aims to give both comfort through its memory foam and cooling effect with its gel layer on one side. For those looking to make their beds cooler, there is Rexbegonia cooling pad. You can even place it on the fridge before use for extra cooling while sleeping. 

The brand’s Life at Home Report 2023 also found that 31% of Filipinos listen to music, podcast, or wellness apps to get better sleep. The Symfonisk Sonos Wifi bookshelf speaker has a rich and vibrant sound that can fill the entire bedroom and allows you to create the right atmosphere for sleep. 

Air quality is not the most obvious factor in getting a good night’s sleep, but unclean air or unbalanced humidity levels in your home can disturb your sleep and affect your health. As such, there is the Vindriktning air quality sensor that can check the air quality based on particles with stylish and easy-to-use sensor, making it ideal to combine with Förnuftig air purifier to improve one’s bedroom’s air quality, so one can breathe cleaner air while one sleeps. 

To make the room a better place for sleeping, the brand presents tools for organization such as Malm chest of four drawers and Skubb box of six, to separate your shirts, accessories, and undergarments and easily find them. The brand’s Life at Home Report 2023 also showed that 12% of Filipinos have a chair or a similar piece of furniture in their bedroom that dabbles as wardrobe. 

“Proper sleep has many health benefits and is essential for optimal well-being,” Harvard Medi