By the age of 75, we will have slept… 25 years! That is a third of our lives. Sleep is one of the essential dimensions of health and well-being. It is a vital need. Yet in recent years, sleeping well remains a sticking point that affects everyday life, for more and more people. The consequences of chronic sleep deprivation for health can be many: weight gain, diabetes, depression, increased pain, worsening of respiratory and cardiovascular disorders, falling asleep at the wheel or at work, drops in performance, relationship difficulties…
And yet we mistreat our sleep, the only way to recover our physical and mental capacities. Our way of life, which has been changing rapidly for more than 30 years, is the main cause. Many studies highlight the sleep debt of the French. A veritable epidemic that aggravates most chronic diseases.
Carried out for the 20th Sleep Day®, the 2020 INSV/MGEN survey was designed to assess the impact of lifestyles on the sleep of the French and to build on the points of concern in order to provide individual and collective advice in favour of good sleep.
What the survey reveals:
The survey also shows that working conditions have consequences for adults’ sleep and, in turn, for family life. It also shows an increase in evening screen use and a large number of night-time awakenings caused by phones among the French.
Our sleep habits depend on how society functions and on our environment. Moreover, a number of measures can be put in place to protect the sleep of adults and children.
Only 39% of the French think that screens have a negative impact on sleep quality, the majority of them (56%) seeing no impact at all.
Nearly 45% of adults look at screens in bed in the evening, every day or almost every day in a third of cases, and for more than 1.5 hours for 1 in 4 users. 16% of the French and 28% of 18-34 year-olds admit to being woken at night by their smartphone’s ringtone or a text message. And nearly half of them most often reply. Specialists therefore urgently recommend a digital curfew to improve the conditions for falling asleep as well as sleep duration.
In their daily lives, French women feel that screens are taking the place of other activities: after reading (60%), the French cite sleep (50%) as the time most reduced by time spent on screens. Next come outdoor activities (43%), physical activities (40%), cultural outings (36%), family (36%), friends (29%) and meals (24%).
Children’s sleep in 2020, the adults of tomorrow
The environment, parents’ lifestyle and school will influence children from the earliest age. The negative impact of lack of sleep in children no longer needs to be demonstrated. 48% of the French agree that the subject of children’s sleep will grow in importance over the next 20 years. However, the survey reveals that not all the French are yet aware of the negative effects of excessive screen exposure on children’s sleep.
9 out of 10 children have access to 1 screen at home, and on average to 3 devices. 71% of parents say they have taken steps to regulate their use: restricting exposure time (66%), banning them during meals (60%), banning them at certain times (56%) and monitoring content (50%). But only 44% of parents say they do not allow screens in bed. Education and awareness-raising must continue so that everyone can find a good rhythm again. One of the main rules for screens is indeed to learn to use them in order to learn to do without them.
There are also many factors that negatively affect sleep, so it is best to eliminate those we can act on! An occasional sleepless night is manageable, but perhaps two nights out ending at dawn every weekend is too heavy a challenge for your sleep capital. Too many sleepless nights is not normal. Do not hesitate to talk to a professional. Stepping back helps us realise that we may be doing less well than we thought and that it is time to seek advice. Life without screens is the grandparents’ era! However, taking care to improve your sleep quality lets the body fall asleep in time to be on form the next day.
A few tips to respect your sleep rhythm and needs:
OpinionWay survey of 1,020 people aged 18 to 65, from 9 to 16 January 2020. Nationally representative sample of the French population: 33% aged 18 to 34, 44% aged 34 to 54 and 23% aged 55 to 65. With 36% upper socio-professional categories, 37% lower socio-professional categories, 27% economically inactive including 9% students.
Flore Guattari Michaux works in private practice in Colombes (92) with children, teenagers and adults. She specialises in parenting and digital technology.
