Whether you’re a night-bird or up with the larks, all of us have our own unique sleep pattern. But an international study by The Sleep Council suggests that the natural sleeping habits of the human race are not suited to traditional nine-to-five working hours, with many of us being at our most inactive in the middle of the day.
The world-wide survey into global sleeping habits discovered that most people either regard themselves as working best in the evening - 38% - or in the morning - 41%.
By showing a preference for morning or evening work, the implication is that the majority are not fully alert in the middle of the day - the traditional time for a siesta in hot countries. We must conclude from this survey that the traditional nine-to-five working day does not suit the majority. This study indicates the hours of nine-to-five are not ideal for many people; speculatively, it implies that there are at least four types of worker: early morning/pre-lunch; afternoon/evening; siesta-type; and the orthodox nine-to-five. If you allow people’s natural sleep preferences to prevail, you could actually extend office hours beyond the traditional nine-to-five. Dr Chris Idzikowski, Sleep Expert
A Move Towards a European Way?
So, is it time to move towards a more European way of working, bringing benefits for both our health and the economy?
Unfortunately, globalisation means that rather than adopting the Mediterranean mid-day nap, daytime dozes are being slowly eradicated as what was once thought of as normal is now only practiced by nine per cent of people globally.
The demands of commerce and industry, the sheer speed of international communications and the globalisation of the marketplace have all contributed to an increased uniformity of sleep patterns and behaviour Dr Idzikowski
The Best Aids for a Good Night's Rest
That uniformity is reflected in the belief among 82% of the 12,000 participants that sleep itself is important, as many people attempt to get good quality kip to avoid dozing off at their desks the following day.
Nearly 90% of UK participants say that what they lie on will impact their slumber and while Western-style sprung mattresses are universally popular, the Eastern habit of meditation is becoming increasingly popular in the West, with 10% of Brits using it to relax at bedtime.
Sex gains universal recognition as a sleep aid with 37% of all those questioned and 39% of Brits agreeing, which is not surprising given that the UK is also the most scantily clad of nations at night-time with 51% going naked in summer and a brave 29% in winter.
Reading at 63%, having a bath before going to bed - 32% - and listening to the radio - 26% - or watching TV - 57% - in bed are other well-used bedtime wind-downs.
Interestingly, Brits are nearly twice as likely as the rest of the world to have a milky drink to aid sleep and three times as likely to enjoy a chocolate treat before they turn out the lights.
More heartening was the news that UK residents were outnumbered by nearly three to one in their use of sleeping pills, with just seven per cent of those taking part using them as opposed to 18% of our overseas counterparts.
But one thing that unites humanity globally is a lack of sleep.
Feeling dozy during the day was reported by 63%, 20% of whom admitted nodding off during films or parties and worryingly, 12% say they feel sleepy while driving.
And the fact that 73% of the world uses alarm clocks confirms the need for more sleep. “Otherwise, they would wake up naturally,” concludes Dr Idzikowski.
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