Singaporeans face hurdles each night in getting a good sleep
For half of the Singaporeans surveyed, their sleep patterns have been altered by the pandemic – close to three in 10 (28%) say that they now sleep less each night, with less than half (46%) feeling that they get enough sleep at night and just 21% saying that they feel well-rested most of the time when waking up in the morning.
Falling into a deep, continuous sleep is a challenge for many, with those surveyed facing difficulties like waking up during the night (40%), falling asleep (35%), and staying asleep (21%).
Worry and stress rank as the top reason for Singaporeans’ lack of sleep (31%), as well as their sleeping environment (16%), and mobile devices such as phones and tablets (13%).
Singaporeans kept awake by worry/stress say they worry most about their work responsibilities (58%), financial challenges (56%), family (32%), and their own/families’ health (30%). Almost a third (31%) also worry about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Mobile use leading to inconsistent sleep habits
For those accustomed to using their mobile phones in bed, nearly half (49%) say it’s the last thing they do before falling asleep and the first thing they do when waking up (45%). Most use it for entertainment (47%), charging their phone overnight next to their bed (32%), and over one in 10 (15%) even respond to texts and calls that wake them up.
The majority of respondents who use their phone before falling asleep (69%) admit that it leads them to fall asleep later than they would like to, due to scrolling through social media (71%), watching videos (62%), texting (45%), checking emails (39%), or reading news about the COVID-19 pandemic (28%).
Taking action towards a better sleep
To get a better night’s sleep, Singaporeans are now experimenting with a variety of methods, including having a set bedtime/wake-up schedule (26%), watching television (24%), reducing caffeine consumption (22%), reading or playing soothing music (19%), and using sleep trackers or monitoring their sleep (10%).
Positively, Singaporeans are also turning towards telehealth and online health resources to address sleep issues. Over half (57%) say the first time they had a telehealth appointment was during the pandemic. With the increased reliance on telehealth during the pandemic, four in ten (40%) respondents expressed a willingness to seek help for sleep related concerns in future from a sleep specialist via telehealth services, although many have yet to take that step.
General awareness of the importance of sleep and the need to tackle underlying sleep issues is also making Singaporeans more open to seeing a sleep specialist (41%), their primary care physician (39%), looking into online health sources and websites for information (40%), and using telehealth or seeing a specialist online (33%).
