Survey finds money worries, anxiety keeping people awake

A chronic lack of sleep is causing a crisis in Australia and new research finds these are the key reasons why we’re not getting enough shut-eye.

Australians are struggling to get a good night’s sleep with a new survey showing many are kept awake worrying about money, by personal anxiety and frequent trips to the bathroom.

Lack of sleep is also killing the sex drive of 16 per cent, with around one in four surveyed saying they had experienced interrupted sleep for “as long as they could remember”.

The findings are from ResMed’s 2024 annual global sleep survey released on Friday for World Sleep Day.

The global sleep technology company says the results show a chronic lack of good sleep with a shocking two-thirds of Australian adults not getting eight hours sleep at night.

For those who do get plenty of shut-eye, the benefits the survey found were improved mental health, better concentration and increased productivity.

The annual ResMed global sleep survey found a chronic lack of good sleep across Australia.

The report revealed the effects of a bad night’s sleep were not easily shrugged off, with respondents reporting feeling excessive daytime sleepiness (53 per cent), being more irritable (44 per cent) and having negative feelings in the morning (42 per cent).

Globally 36,000 adults aged from 18 years were surveyed, which included 1500 Australians, as part of ResMed’s Discover Your Sleep Superpower campaign.

It says the results “lifted the covers” on Australia’s sleeping crisis by revealing:

• One in five have a diagnosed history of sleep apnea

• Over half of perimenopausal women reported not sleeping well, which was well above the global average

• Digital devices, including watching TV and scrolling through social media, were used by more than 50 per cent of the Australian respondents before going to bed

The survey pinpointed the top three reasons keeping Australians awake as personal anxiety (45 per cent), frequent trips to the bathroom (29 per cent) and financial pressures (28 per cent).

It also questioned the sleeping habits of people in France, Japan, the UK, India, Thailand as well as Australia.

Of those who responded, only 13 per cent reported sleeping soundly each night.

People in the UK (44 per cent) experienced the most disruption to their sleep, while in India (42 per cent) and Thailand (41 per cent) were most likely to stay asleep the entire night.

Only 13 per cent of survey respondents reported sleeping soundly each night. Picture: Wayne Taylor

While many Australians are not sleeping well, ResMed says it found they were sleep curious with around 40 per cent of adults tracking their sleep on wearable devices or a smartphone app.

And while we may not be sleeping well, Aussies do love their sleepwear.

Melbourne-based sleepwear designer Peter Alexander says since the pandemic comfort has become the ultimate luxury in pyjamas.

“It is now about soft hand feel, oversized shapes and looks that can take you from the bedroom to the boardroom (literally, thanks to Zoom!),” he said.

Olivia Arezzolo is a Sydney sleep expert who says poor sleep is impacting Australians leaving them feeling flat, exhausted and unmotivated during the day.

“While this is all very overwhelming, fortunately improving sleep doesn’t need to be complicated – the first step is to recognise it’s a problem, and seek the support of a trusted health professional,” she said.