We are increasingly having trouble sleeping

No less than 24 percent of Dutch people aged 25 and older had sleeping problems last year, such as difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep or waking up too early.

This is apparent from figures from the Health Survey of Statistics Netherlands (CBS), NOS.nl reports.

Survey participants were asked if they had any sleep problems in the past two weeks. Nearly a quarter of those surveyed admitted to having trouble sleeping. In 2017, that percentage was still at 21 percent.

Read also: '16 minutes of sleep deprivation makes you less productive'

Complaints

Of those who confess to having trouble sleeping, as many as 40 percent say they sleep so poorly that it affects their day-to-day functioning. They suffer from concentration problems, a bad mood and forgetfulness.

Sleep deprivation is epidemic

In an earlier article on Sante.nl we reported that Matthew Walker, author of the book 'Why We Sleep', talks about an epidemic when it comes to sleep deprivation. Walker has been researching sleep for years. It turns out that in 1942 only eight percent of people slept six hours or less. Now that is almost half of the people.

Causes

According to him, there are various reasons why people increasingly suffer from sleep deprivation.

• We've been sitting in front of a screen for too long. The light from the screen does not contribute to a good night's sleep.
• According to Walker, the line between work and private life is increasingly blurred.
• Alcohol:it makes you relax, but has an effect on your deep sleep.
• When you wake up and worry about something, it becomes difficult to go back to sleep. One solution may be to write it off. By writing, you give your brain a signal that you are already processing a problem to some extent.
• Caffeine. Are you a coffee lover? Then only have decaffeinated coffee towards the evening, so that you can sleep better.