Koreans Lack 360 Hours of Sleep Per Person Annually

Koala Korea Announces Survey Results on Sleep Patterns of Koreans

Infographic of the '2021 Koala Korea Sleep Survey' announced by Australian home furniture company 'Koala'.
[Graphic by Koala Korea]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jong-hwa] Koala, a leading home furniture company representing Australia, has released the results of the "2021 Koala-Korea Sleep Survey," which analyzed the sleep quality of Koreans. This survey was planned and conducted by Koala in conjunction with its entry into the Korean market, based on the results of a survey conducted last month on 1,058 adult men and women nationwide regarding sleep satisfaction, bedtime habits, and electronic device usage before sleep.

According to the survey results, while Koreans consider 8 hours to be the ideal sleep duration, the actual average sleep time on weekdays was 6 hours and 42 minutes. On weekends, respondents reported sleeping an average of 7 hours and 49 minutes, about one hour more than on weekdays. When annualized, this means each person is missing approximately 360 hours of sleep compared to the ideal sleep time. Including the time spent preparing for sleep, such as lying down watching TV or reading a book, people spend an average of 50 hours per week in bed.

Regarding sleep satisfaction, only 42% of respondents said they were currently satisfied with their sleep. Comparing weekdays and weekends, sleep satisfaction was 39% on weekdays and 55% on weekends, indicating higher satisfaction with longer sleep times on weekends. Those who were dissatisfied with their sleep tended to have actual sleep times up to 2 hours shorter than their ideal sleep duration.

When asked about the time it takes to fall asleep, 6 out of 10 respondents answered that it usually takes more than 15 minutes. Among all respondents, 25% said it takes more than 30 minutes to fall asleep.

Respondents identified 'temperature (44%)' as the biggest factor disrupting their sleep. This was followed by children or partners (38%), noise (36%), and lighting (24%). Additionally, 86% of respondents said they use air conditioning or heating during sleep to maintain the optimal temperature for sleeping.

Regarding sleep arrangements, sleeping alone in a bed (47%) was the most common. Sharing a bed with a partner accounted for 44%, and sharing with children was 14%. In these cases, the movements of the bed partner can be a sleep disturbance, and about half of the respondents (47%) reported waking up during sleep due to sensing the partner’s movements. Notably, women (58%) experienced the impact of their partner’s movements more than men.

More than half of the respondents said they have personally measured their sleep patterns. Sixty percent of respondents reported having used devices such as smartphones or smartwatches to track their sleep, but two-thirds of these have since stopped measuring.

Two-thirds of Koreans were found to have a bedtime routine before falling asleep. Common activities included watching TV (31%), checking their phones (19%), and watching mobile videos (10%), indicating a strong tendency to consume relaxing video content before sleep.

Kwon Sun-young, Marketing Director of Koala Korea, said, "The survey results show that Koreans pay the most attention to finding the optimal temperature that helps promote deep sleep for their sleep health." She added, "Especially during the hot summer months, it is important to create a comfortable sleep environment by using mattresses made with special materials or improving the bedroom environment to enhance sleep quality."

Meanwhile, Koala entered the Korean market in July. To support Koreans’ sleep, Koala launched three new mattress products developed based on research results aimed at providing comfortable and highly satisfying sleep. The three new products?‘Koala Mattress,’ ‘Koala Calm,’ and ‘Koala Soulmate’?all use materials with excellent thermal breathability to help maintain optimal body temperature and promote comfortable sleep. Additionally, the ‘Zero Disturbance’ technology minimizes surrounding movements or shocks when couples or children share the bed, helping users achieve restful sleep.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.