70.5 percent of Chinese youth suffer from insomnia

A recent survey of the sleep habits of 18 to 35 year olds undertaken by China Youth Daily has suggested that 70.5 percent of surveyed youth suffer from insomnia.

Just 7.5 percent of the 1,972 respondents said they do not experience problems with insomnia, while 72.1 percent of the respondents said they experience insomnia occasionally.

The survey also revealed that 18.7 percent of respondents experience insomnia frequently, and 1.8 percent almost everyday.

Problems associated with insomnia include low sleep quality, short sleep duration, and difficulties in falling asleep, according to the survey.

Excitement or anxiety were the major reasons for insomnia given by respondents. The other reasons were irregular schedules, consumption of coffee and tea, intense mental or physical activity during the day and health reasons.

"At certain crucial stages of life, young people want to work hard. Therefore they generally fall asleep late or sleep less," said Gao Xuemei, deputy director of Chinese Sleep Research Society.

Some 61.5 percent of respondents said they would seek help if they were continuously suffering from insomnia. The survey showed that 39.4 percent of those interviewed are aware of ways to get timely help, while 41.8 percent of respondents are not.

Options that respondents suggested to improve sleep quality include diet improvements, more exercise, relaxation, sleep time adjustments and acupuncture.