By Sri Lanka’s Sleep Struggles and the Quest for Solutions
Sri Lanka, like much of Asia, is facing a growing sleep crisis. With more women entering the workforce, longer commutes, and children waking up earlier for school, many are finding themselves increasingly sleep-deprived. As a result, sleep problems are becoming more common, and older generations often reflect on a time when they enjoyed deeper, more restful sleep. This shift in lifestyle is contributing to an invisible health crisis that, according to experts like Michael Chee, a sleep researcher at the National University of Singapore’s Sleep and Cognition Center, is particularly affecting Asians. “Generally, Asians sleep anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes less on weekdays than their colleagues in Europe and Oceania,” Chee explains.
A 2023 study by Milieu Insight, a consumer research firm, supports this, revealing that nearly half of Southeast Asians suffer from sleep problems at least a few times a week. In countries like Vietnam and the Philippines, the struggle is even more pronounced, with 80% and 79% of people, respectively, facing difficulties such as trouble falling asleep, waking up frequently during the night, or having irregular sleep patterns. This study also found that 59% of Southeast Asians get less than seven hours of sleep a night. Sri Lanka is no exception to these patterns, with many individuals coping with sleep deprivation despite their best efforts.
Turning to Technology for Sleep Solutions
To combat this growing problem, many people in Asia, including Sri Lanka, are turning to wearable technology. These devices, often in the form of smartwatches or fitness trackers, monitor sleep duration, efficiency, and regularity. They often come with apps that offer a “sleep score,” allowing users to track how well they slept the previous night. This has spurred the growth of the sleep-monitoring market, which is expected to grow by 13.2% between 2024 and 2031 in Asia-Pacific.
One such user is 27-year-old Angeli Reyes from Metro Manila, who has struggled with sleep issues since her teenage years. “Some days, even when I am exhausted, I toss and turn until 2 am, and then feel drained the next morning,” she shares. Devices like the ones Reyes uses are marketed as tools to help individuals improve their sleep by providing valuable data, but experts caution that they may not always be reliable.
The Debate on Sleep Wearables
While tools like smartwatches and fitness bands can provide useful data, experts like Michael Chee warn that they should not be viewed as a replacement for professional diagnosis. Sleep data gathered from consumer-grade wearables may not be as accurate as those collected in a sleep lab, where polysomnography (a comprehensive test involving the recording of brain activity, airflow, heart rate, and muscle movements) is used to measure sleep in detail. Instead, wearable devices, such as the Oura Ring and Fitbit Sense, track movement to infer sleep patterns.
Despite their limitations, studies have shown that high-quality consumer-grade devices can give fairly accurate insights into sleep quality. For instance, a 2023 study published in the Sleep Health Journal found that these wearables provided reliable data compared to traditional sleep lab methods. “These tools are fit to be used for longitudinal studies involving healthy sleepers without highly disordered sleep,” Chee noted. For individuals like Reyes, seeing the sleep data from her device has helped her adjust her habits. “I noticed my sleep quality is worse when I sleep past 1–2 am, so I try to sleep earlier now,” she explains.
However, Chee is clear that wearable devices should not be a substitute for professional help. If someone experiences consistent sleep issues, it is important to consult a sleep specialist, as sleep trackers cannot address underlying disorders.
The Root of the Problem: Sleep Hygiene and Cultural Factors
The causes of sleep problems are multifaceted. Poor sleep hygiene, such as irregular sleep schedules, caffeine consumption, alcohol, and screen use before bed, can all contribute to poor sleep. Cultural factors also play a significant role. A 2019 study by Flinders University in Australia showed that young adults in Asia, including Sri Lanka, sleep less compared to their European counterparts. While young adults in Europe sleep a little more than seven hours a night, those in Asia tend to sleep only about 6.5 hours on average.
Older adults, meanwhile, often develop conditions that disrupt their sleep, such as advanced sleep-wake phase disorder or insomnia. Additionally, socio-cultural norms that emphasize collectivism—putting family or work obligations ahead of personal rest—contribute to later bedtimes. The 2023 study in Scientific Reports found that people in countries like Japan and Spain, which have high collectivism scores, often have delayed bedtimes due to social obligations. Similarly, research from the NUS Sleep and Cognition Center shows that people in Asia tend to sleep less on weekends because they use that time to catch up on work or attend to family matters.
This lack of sleep is compounded by a societal tendency to “catch up” on rest by napping during the day, but experts like Chee argue that this is a poor substitute for a full night’s sleep. “Some people make up for sleep deprivation by napping, but as many of us observe, this is clearly a deficient sleep,” he says.
Shifting Mindsets and Raising Awareness
Sleep researchers like Chee believe that solving the sleep crisis requires structural changes. While some factors, such as work schedules and cultural norms, are difficult to change, there are efforts underway to raise public awareness about the importance of sleep. Countries like the Philippines are already taking steps to address sleep disorders. A bill filed in 2023 calls for the establishment of a sleep disorder awareness and education program to help identify and manage sleep problems. Similarly, in Singapore, the NUS Sleep and Cognition Center has conducted studies that show how longer sleep durations improve student performance, mood, and overall well-being.
As Chee explains, society must recognize that sleep is critical to health and productivity: “If you want to work towards improving health, well-being, and performance in a serious way, you’ve got to pay attention to sleep.”
A New Frontier in Sleep Health
Though consumer-grade sleep trackers are still evolving, they offer an exciting new avenue for both researchers and individuals to understand and improve their sleep. “Sleep has been described as the ‘new health frontier,’” says sleep specialist Liza Lomigo. “Little was known about it until recent times, but now new research and technologies are being discovered.” For Sri Lankans and others in Asia, the journey to better sleep may be long, but the growing awareness and technology available could help pave the way for healthier sleep habits in the future.
