Pune: Well, as we all know that rays from mobile phones do harm our eyes and disturb the sleep pattern, yet like the saying ‘old habits die hard’, we cannot stop ourselves from browsing through the phone right after hitting the bed.
Sleep awareness week
As sleep awareness week is observed from March 12 to 18, Wakefit.co conducted a survey which revealed that 38% of Indian’s experience night time anxiety worrying about the future. The 6th edition of the Great Indian Sleep score card released by the company that deals in D2C sleep and home solution provider found out that 87% of Indians use their phones just before bed.
These findings have been gathered by studying close to 2.5lakh respondents over six years and 10,000 plus responses this year recorded from March 2022 to February 2023. It covers respondents in all Indian cities, across age groups, and various demographics.”, said the officials.
The key findings in 2023 indicated that 55% of India’s population has been going to bed post 11 pm, while last year the number was 66%. Despite a reduction in late-night sleepers since last year, the report revealed an 11% increase since 2022 in the number of people who didn’t feel refreshed on waking up in the morning. Worrying about the future combined with excessive usage of cell phones before bedtime has led to deteriorating sleep habits in Indians. The report revealed that there was a 38% increase in the number of people staying up late at night worrying about their future, while a whopping 87% of Indians still use their phones just before bedtime.
The key findings and observations from the survey:
Early to bed, tired to rise
Despite more individuals going to bed early since last year, the report indicated 11% do not feel refreshed after waking up while 61% of male respondents stated that they felt refreshed in the mornings, which was significantly higher compared to 53% of female respondents. Compared to last year, the number of women feeling refreshed upon waking up in the morning has reduced by 25%. This trend has also been witnessed across workplaces with 67% of women feeling sleepy during work hours as against 56% of men. Overall, the year saw a 21% increase in people feeling sleepy during work hours as compared to last year.
Gen-Z focusing on ideal sleep time
The year witnessed a growing number of under 18-year-olds prioritizing their sleep health. The report underlines a steady increase in the number of people across age groups going to bed before 10 p.m, which increased by 65% since last year. The most significant contributor to this was a 200% increase in the number of under 18-year-olds going to bed before 10 p.m.
Social media reigns supreme
Checking social media before bedtime keeps people awake as the use of electronics can affect sleep through the stimulating effects of light emitted by digital screens. The report indicates that 87% of Indians use their phones before bedtime, with 78% of people staying up late browsing social media in the age group of 25 to 34. Despite an increase in social media consumption, late-night binge-watching has reduced by 40% in women vs 33% in men since last year.
Chaitanya Ramalingegowda, Director and Co-Founder, Wakefit.co, said, “In 2016 we Wakefit.co and pioneered conversations about enabling a healthy sleep culture in India. In our endeavour to lay the groundwork for empowering sleep positivity among Indians, we conceptualized the Great Indian Sleep Scorecard. The report serves as a yardstick to ascertain India’s sleep patterns, and understand trends that determine the country’s sleep behaviours and preferences. The sixth edition of our report, which has clocked in close to 2.5 lakh responses across 6 editions, is a continued step toward educating Indian consumers about the importance of sleep health.”
