Lack of sleep may lead to obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, depression, weakened immunity, increased pain, reduced cognitive ability and even an increased risk of accidents. The traditional view holds that adults should sleep for 7 to 8 hours each night to maintain optimal health, and this recommendation is also supported by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and the Sleep Research Society (SRS).
However, a recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) challenges this common perception. Scientists from the University of British Columbia (UBC) and the University of Victoria (UVic) analyzed sleep data from nearly 5,000 people in 20 countries around the world and found that there are significant differences in the duration of healthy sleep among people from different cultural backgrounds.
There are significant differences in sleep duration among countries
Studies have found that the average sleep duration varies from country to country:
- Japan: 6 hours and 18 minutes
- Canada: 7 hours and 27 minutes
- France: 7 hours and 52 minutes
Despite the difference in sleep duration, researchers have found that the health conditions of residents in countries with less sleep, such as Japan, are no worse than those in countries with longer sleep, such as France.
“Cultural adaptation” is more important than a fixed duration
Dr. Steven Heine, a co-author of the study and a professor of social and cultural psychology at UBC, said: “Although it is generally recommended to sleep for eight hours, our study shows that sleep recommendations should take cultural differences into account rather than a one-size-fits-all standard.”
Dr. Christine Ou, the lead author of the study and an assistant professor at the UVic School of Nursing, added, “The closer the sleep duration is to the culturally recognized standard, the better the overall health condition.” This means that the ideal duration of sleep should depend on the cultural environment in which an individual is located.
Implications for public health advice
This study emphasizes that when formulating sleep health guidelines, sleep habits of different cultures should be taken into account. In the future, public health institutions may need to adjust sleep recommendations to better suit the lifestyles of different groups of people, thereby enhancing overall health levels.
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