Health Report - Separate stories podcast How much does sleep duration really matter?
May 23, 2025
Steven Heine, a Professor of Social and Cultural Psychology at the University of British Columbia, delves into the fascinating world of sleep in different cultures. He challenges the myth of needing eight hours of sleep by revealing a U-shaped correlation between sleep duration and health. Surprising findings show that cultural adherence to sleep norms can lead to better health outcomes, regardless of the hours slept. He also discusses Japan's unique connection between shorter sleep and longevity, emphasizing the importance of sleep quality over quantity.
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Optimal Sleep Varies By Country
- Within countries, both short and very long sleep durations correlate with worse health outcomes, forming an upside-down U-shaped health curve related to sleep length.
- This curve peaks at an optimal sleep duration which varies by country and isn't universally eight hours.
Cultural Sleep Duration Differences
- Average sleep duration varies significantly across countries, with Japan averaging about 6 hours 20 minutes and France about 7 hours 57 minutes.
- This represents a range of around 1.5 hours in average sleep duration between countries.
Most People Sleep Less Than Ideal
- Optimal sleep duration for health is on average about one hour longer than average sleep duration within countries, indicating most people sleep less than ideal.
- In Asia, optimal sleep was closer to 8.5 hours; in Australia, around 9.5 hours for best health.