‘Sleep Matters' Research Finds 40% of KSA Residents Have Trouble Sleeping

Results Highlight Link between Sleep and Quality of Life

15 October 2014, Dubai, UAE – A research study commissioned by Intercoil, the Middle East’s leading mattress and bedding manufacturer,  in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has revealed that almost 40% of KSA residents have trouble sleeping, with significantly more women than men reporting they have always or often trouble sleeping at night.

The study, conducted by YouGov during August 2014, included 519 respondents and was carried out under the ‘Sleep Matters’ umbrella, a community initiative aimed at improving people’s lives by educating, informing and encouraging health and wellbeing for residents across the Middle East. The first and most comprehensive resource in the region for all information related to sleep, Sleep Matters (www.sleepmattersme.com) has been created by Intercoil as a platform that unites experts and the community around a shared goal – getting a good night’s sleep.

According to the survey, the top factors that influence the quality of sleep are: daily life worries and stress, bedroom temperature, noise, and the quality of mattress, which the majority believes is the most important item in the bedroom. Significantly more of those who have trouble falling asleep claim they ‘worry easily about life in general’ and have ‘a lot of stress in their life’.

Almost a quarter of the respondents claim to sleep less than 5 hours per night – a factor that can potentially lead to the development of many chronic long term health conditions, including high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.

Overall, respondents sleep an average of 6.7 hours during weekdays and 7.7 hours during weekends. 82% of those who always or often have trouble sleeping claimed they “wish they could sleep better at night”.

With a majority of respondents (80%) recognizing that healthy sleep leads to a healthy life, two thirds of the total group acknowledged that lack of sleep affects their daily functions. One in three respondents has had accidents or near-accidents when driving because they felt sleepy.

Commenting on the results of the survey, Hassan Al Hazeem, Managing Director of Intercoil, said: “Through the nature of our business, we constantly engage with people who are not only looking to buy a mattress or bed, but to improve the quality of their sleep. By raising awareness of the importance of a good night’s sleep and helping people find ways to improve their sleep, we strongly believe we can have a positive impact on people’s lives.”

Dr. Melanie Schlatter, Health Psychologist at Health Psychology UAE added: “The results of the survey highlight the link between sleep and one’s overall quality of life. While the majority of respondents acknowledge that poor sleep affects their everyday functioning, and factors such as daily stress and worries have an impact on the quality of sleep, people don’t seem to be aware of the wide range of options available to help them.”

Making manageable lifestyle changes can make a significant difference to quality of sleep; from scheduling your dinner at least two hours prior to bedtime, to taking moderate exercise, even a 20 minute daily walk, making sure your mattress offers the right support, to creating a calming and relaxing atmosphere  in the bedroom.