World Sleep Day: Indians sleep better with increased pay, says study

Mumbai: According to the India Sleep and Wellness survey commissioned by Sunday Mattresses and conducted among working professionals above the age of 25, there is a direct correlation between increasing salary and ease of falling asleep.

The survey conducted across Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore indicates that there is also a direct correlation between productivity and sleep.

Over two thirds of the sound sleepers believe they are hundred per cent productive at work; whereas more than half of those who reported getting insufficient sleep, believed they were only seventy five per cent (or less) productive.

Interestingly, people below the age group of 30 sleep better compared to their older counter parts. Adults over the age of 30, are twice as likely to have sleep related problems and adults over 45 yrs are three times more likely to have sleep related problems.

Almost forty per cent of people use an alarm to wake up. This is significantly high in Mumbai where fifty per cent of the respondents use an alarm, on a day to day basis.

It comes as no surprise that Bangaloreans go to bed the earliest (between 10 pm and 11 pm); whereas Mumbai has the highest proportion of night owls who sleep after midnight, perhaps owing to long commutes that are a norm in Mumbai.

Bangalore has a better record of falling asleep as compared to Delhi and Mumbai and this is mainly attributed to relatively lower noise levels, however, Bangaloreans report a lower quality of sleep and have difficulty sustaining it.

Singles and couples with kids sleep better. In general, singles and married people with kids (without differentiating between parents with infant kids or grown up kids) are more content and fall asleep easily as compared to married couples without kids. People who share their bed with kids are fifty per cent more likely to have problems falling asleep. So, if you are planning to have good sleep, it is better to for the kids and the parents to separate their sleeping areas.

The research findings also demonstrate that people who eat less than two hours before going to sleep are fifty per cent more likely to have sleep related issues. More Delhi-ites head to bed with a somewhat heavy or heavy dinner, whereas Mumbai keeps it light.

Overall, respondents think that mattresses are very important for good quality of sleep. People who sleep on mattresses that are new (less than 3 years old) are 20per cent less likely to have sleep issues compared to those sleeping on older mattresses.

Furthermore, smokers are 52 per cent more likely to have sleep problems as compared to non-smokers. Amongst smokers, ease of sleep goes down as the number of cigarettes increases.

The connection between sleep and weight is quite high. People who consider themselves to be overweight are 2.5 times more likely to have sleep issues as compared to people who do not consider themselves to be overweight. There is also a very strong correlation between sleep and exercise. People who do not exercise are 3 times more prone to having issues with sleep as compared to people who exercise regularly (go to the gym at least 2-3 times every week)

Over fifty per cent of people traveling for more than an hour to work had a disturbed/troubled/insufficient sleep as compared to those who traveled between 15 mins to 1 hour.

Bangaloreans and Delhi-ites are more likely to have laptops in their bedroom as compared to Mumbaikars. More than 90 per cent of all bedrooms in the homes of respondents had a mobile phone in there. The trend is the highest in the IT capital, Bangalore that records a 97per cent likelihood of having a mobile phone in the bedroom. Interestingly Bangaloreans and Mumbaikars are less likely to have a TV in their bedroom with only 54per cent of bedrooms having a TV as compared to 71per cent in the case of Delhi.

Dr. Himanshu Garg. a Somnologist (sleep expert) and founder of Aviss Health, said, “Sleep is the most underrated natural resource. With people socializing till late at night and working over time, they are losing out on quality sleep. Children preparing for exams are also losing out on sleep. They are trying to pack in more and they do not realize that the REM phase of sleep, the deepest phase, is when information gets best absorbed and by sleeping late, students are missing out on it.  For long-lasting productivity, efficiency, memory and to prevent serious diseases, good sleep is a prerequisite.”

Alphonse Reddy, Founder and CEO, Sunday Mattress comments, “We at Sunday Mattresses are very passionate about anything to do with sleep and hence we commissioned the survey in India. We wanted to collect information on sleep and the various factors that impact it, as we believe that the quality and quantity of sleep directly correlates to a more fulfilled life. We hope that people could use some of the information shared to lead happy, productive lives.”