Global Sleep Crisis: Singapore, Japan Have The Least Amount Of Sleep, Caused By Social Pressures

First Posted: May 09, 2016 06:20 AM EDT

Scientists from University of Michigan have warned that social pressure is a contributing factor to a "global sleep crisis." They also discovered that Singapore and Japan have the least amount of sleep and the Netherlands has the most quantity of sleep.

According to Daily Mail, the researchers based their research on data gathered on a smartphone. This enabled them to trace the sleeping patterns of people all around the globe.

The smartphone collected data about how age, gender and the quantity of natural light to which people are exposed affect the sleeping patterns of people in 100 countries. This also comprehends how cultural pressures can dominate the biological rhythms.

Your Health reports that the study was published in the journal Science Advances last Friday. The researchers said that the effects of society on sleep remain largely unquantified. They also found out that social pressures weaken/or conceal biological drives in the evening that lead to delay their bedtime and shorten their sleep.

The study involved 6,000 people with ages 15 and above. They were asked by the researchers to send anonymous data about sleep, wake-up and lighting environment. This facilitated the researchers to obtain a large amount of data about sleep patterns all over the world.

Netherland has the most amount of sleep with an average of eight hours and 12 minutes of sleep. On the other hand, Singapore and Japan have the least amount of sleep with an average of 7 hours and 24 minutes of sleep.

The study says that impaired sleep present an immediate and pressing threat to human health. It has an effect on the cognitive function too, according to the researchers.

According to Center for Disease and Control, a chronic lack of sleep heightens the risk of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes and obesity. They also found out that one in three American adults does not have the recommended minimum sleeping hours, which is 7 hours.