A third of people sleep badly

A STUDY published today for National Sleep Day shows people in France are not sleeping well.

A third of people polled in a major survey by the Institut de Veille Sanitaire said they had problems with sleep at least three days a week and one in five suffered chronic insomnia.

The problems concern women more than men – 39% as opposed to 29%, and increases with age (44% of those aged over 75, 22% of those aged 16-24).

Younger people cite difficulties in getting to sleep more, whereas older age groups complain more of waking during the night.

One in five people suffer problems with day-time tiredness due to not sleeping well.

Another problem that emerged from the study was that sleep apnea – a problem where breathing is repeatedly interrupted during sleep – appears to be underdiagnosed. Around 5% reported symptoms related to it, but only 2.4% say they have been diagnosed and only 15% have undergone actual studies of their sleep.

Only a third of those reporting chronic insomnia and day-time tiredness have talked to a doctor about it.