Too many diversions: the French sleep 90 minutes less than 50 years ago
Nearly one in two French think they don’t sleep enough. Major causes: the increased travel time between home and work, and the time spent on home entertainment. Especially TV and the Internet offer too many sleep-depriving temptations.
On average, the French sleep 7 hours and 10 minutes per day. Nearly three in ten sleep 6 hours or less, one in six sleeps 9 hours or longer.
Health experts are worried about the phenomenon. Lack of rest increases the risk of hypertension, diabetes and obesity. That’s why today, March 28, is Sleep Day (journée nationale du sommeil). It’s the 7th edition of this event, aimed at creating sleep awareness. The experts’ advice: sleep as long as you need, using regular bedtimes. Catching up on missed sleep only works on a short term, but fails if it happens too often.
Recent figures show that one in three French is tired, and in four out of ten cases it’s lack of sleep that causes it. Nearly three in ten French have difficulty sleeping, and 18% suffer from insomnia.
In 2007, the government plans to spend 6 million euros on information and schemes to help people to sleep better.
