Results showed that while awareness of sleep’s impact on overall health is on the rise, for many people across the globe, achieving good sleep health remains elusive. Besides being one of the top two nations having insufficient sleep, 70 percent of Singaporeans describe their sleep as ‘somewhat’ or ‘not at all’ well, and 4 in 10 (39 percent) say that their sleep has worsened in the past five years. The impact of this is demonstrated daily, with as many as 65 percent of Singaporeans saying they have experienced several episodes of daytime sleepiness throughout the week.
Stress was the main reason keeping Singaporeans up at night, with 61 percent of them losing sleep over worry or stress – higher than the 12-country average of 54 percent. Additionally, other factors that keep Singaporeans up at night include their sleeping environment (35 percent), distraction from entertainment such as television, social media (30 percent) and their partner’s snoring (14 percent) or sleep schedule (10 percent).
Facing such sleep deprivation, 81 percent of respondents from Singapore say that they want to improve their quality of sleep. To get a better sleep, Singaporeans are experimenting with a variety of methods, including instituting a set bedtime/wake-up schedule (28 percent), reducing their caffeine consumption (25 percent), playing soothing music (19 percent), and even sleeping in a different location from their partner (12 percent). Additionally, 11 percent of Singaporeans have also used connected care devices to track their sleeping habits, according to Philips’ Future Health Index (FHI) study1.
“It’s worrying that Singaporeans are still ranked among the world’s poorest sleepers, despite public awareness around the importance of quality sleep for overall health,” said Ivy Lai, Country Manager, Philips Singapore. “Philips is deeply rooted in its commitment to developing clinically-proven solutions that help people take control of their sleep health. Philips aims to provide solutions that meet the growing and evolving needs of consumers and healthcare professionals alike. To bridge the current gap in diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders, last year we launched Southeast Asia’s first Sleep and Respiratory Education Center in Singapore to upskill healthcare professionals across the region, aimed at enabling better access to sleep and respiratory care.”