sleeping chinese

Lack of Sleep Apparently a Huge Problem Among Chinese Adults

Most caused by psychological pressure

Having trouble getting a little shut-eye? You’re not alone: 38 percent of Chinese adults have difficulty falling asleep on a daily basis.

According to the China Sleep Research Society, sleep disorders are primarily caused by psychological pressures (46 percent), Primary Insomnia (23 percent), Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome (“DSPS” - 7 percent) and Sleep Apnea (6 percent). According to Society research, the average Chinese adult has lost 0.71 minutes of sleep per year since 1900, totalling 1.5 hours.

Workers in media, IT and medicine are most likely to sleep less, says Luo Xiaolin, a sleep expert with a Hunan Hospital. In 2013, the hospital treated more than 5,000 patients for insomnia; that number jumped by almost 9,000 in 2014. Although insomniacs are between three and four times more likely to develop depression, only 21 percent of Chinese adults with sleeping problems will seek medical treatment.

Perhaps all this talk of insomnia in China is confusing. Although Westerners have  commented on the Chinese ability to apparently sleep anywhere, the Chinese internet is also rife with photos catching soldiers, doctors, and other government workers sleeping in the oddest places. We’re told that the following photos don’t show people “sleeping on the job”; they are just so tired from working that they simply fall “dead asleep” whenever they can:

sleeping propaganda

Charles Liu

The Nanfang's Senior Editor