The Big Sleep
Or lack thereof. Why does everyone in Hong Kong sleep so badly?
Too many of us can only dream of getting enough sleep these days. Whether it’s work, stress, noise, heartache, or more work, there’s always something holding us back from catching our full dose of shut-eye each night. According to a survey by AC Nielsen, nine out of 10 Hong Kong adults have trouble drifting off at night, with 66 percent inclined to go to bed after midnight. Teenagers are even worse off. A report by Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital finds 95 percent of secondary school students are steeped in “sleep debt,” with one in four of them getting less than six hours a night, their average hours dropping as they move up one grade to the next. Even local babies don’t get enough, with children under three averaging nine hours against the US National Sleep Foundation’s recommended 15.
It’s hardly surprising. Indeed, many of us have taken to bragging about how little sleep we get. Professionals wear their bleary eyes like a baggy badge of honor, a sign of industriousness and stamina amid today’s competitive environment: only losers are snoozers in the adrenaline-happy rat race.
Yet there’s also an increasing barrage of evidence about the ill effects of sleeplessness. We hear that lack of sleep hinders your memory, problem-solving skills and other cognitive functions. It renders you accident-prone. It doubles the risk of death from cardiovascular disease. It makes you age faster. It makes you irretrievably ugly. According to a peculiar study by British Airways on how sleeplessness it affects different nationalities, it makes Hong Kong people in particular act weirdly “suspicious and reserved.” Meanwhile, a study by the International Journal of Obesity last year cites lack of sleep as a major cause of obesity in Hong Kong.
In this issue, we look at everything to do with sleep. How does your bedroom compare to others? Which sleeping pills are the most effective? Where can we buy gear to help us get to sleep? We stayed up all night to bring you the answers to these and other concerns.
Turning off in Transit
Trying to sleep on a plane is hell. Here’s how to help yourself drift off on a long-haul flight.