In its Weekly Epidemiological Bulletin, Public Health France indicates that for the first time, the average sleep time of the French falls below the seven hour mark.
Whether you are a groundhog or a night owl, no one can ignore the benefits of a good night’s sleep. However, the French sleep less and less, according to the barometer of Public Health France, which publishes this Tuesday its Weekly epidemiological bulletin. For the first time, the daily sleep time fell below the seven hour mark on average.
Between 1h and 1h30 less sleep in 50 years
12,637 people, aged 18 to 75, were interviewed for this study. It shows that during the week and during work, the daily sleep time is on average 6 hours and 34 minutes (not counting naps), while it is 7 hours and 12 minutes at weekends and during rest periods. In fifty years, the French have lost between an hour and an hour and a half of sleep. The fault, according to Public Health France, to the time we spend in front of the screens. But also to the noises that surround us and to the daily journeys.
“More than a third of French people (35.9%) sleep less than six hours. However, we know from numerous epidemiological studies that sleeping less than six hours is associated with a high risk of obesity, diabetes type 2, hypertension, cardiac pathologies and accidents”, alert Professor Damien Léger, sleep specialist at the Hôtel-Dieu, and the director general of Public Health France, François Bourdillon.
Night work pointed out
Researchers have particularly focused on night work. Thus, the number of regular and occasional night workers in France increased from 3.3 million in 1990 to 4.3 million in 2013. That is a drop from 15% of workers to 16.3%. Night work, with its staggered hours, is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, accidents, and for women, breast cancer. In the Weekly Epidemiological Bulletin, a study on the subject is published. The authors recommend setting up a health watch for night workers. Recently, American researchers have also demonstrated the benefits of sport to regulate our biological clock when we work precisely with staggered hours.
How to sleep well?
There are solutions to allow the French to sleep more and better. Thus, Public Health France promotes the nap, lasting 20 to 30 minutes, even in the workplace! The postponement of the start of classes for high school students is also mentioned. At the beginning of the year, the president of the Île-de-France region, Valérie Pécresse, proposed the idea to the Minister of Education, Jean-Michel Blanquer. An experiment to which he said he was “open”. Without forgetting the basics of a successful sleep: an ideal temperature of 18°C, and above all no mobile phone or tablet.
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