Which population groups are more likely to get too little sleep? Results of the “German Health Update” (GEDA 2023)

Abstract

Background: Short sleep duration is associated with an increased health risk. Methods: The data are based on a Germany-wide, representative telephone survey of adults conducted as part of the Health Monitoring Programme (GEDA). A sleep duration of less than seven hours per night (over the past four weeks) is defined as ‘short’. Results: Short sleep duration is observed on weekdays among 39.6 % of the adult population. Men are more likely than women to have short sleep duration, particularly men aged 45 to 64 years (53.0 %). At weekends, the proportion is significantly lower, particularly among 18- to 29-year-olds. Among those aged 65 years and older, however, there are barely any differences between weekdays and weekends. Conclusions: A significant proportion of the population experiences short sleep duration, which underlines the high public health relevance of this issue. Addressing this requires individual and societal preventive measures to promote healthy sleep patterns.