Who gets enough sleep? – Sleep duration and classification based on sleep recommendations among the adult population in Germany

Abstract

Background: An insufficient or excessive sleep duration can be associated with various health risks. The National Sleep Foundation recommends seven to nine hours’ sleep per night for 18 – 64-year-olds and seven to eight hours’ sleep for adults aged 65 and older. The aim of this study is to describe the sleep duration in the adult population in Germany and to identify population groups that meet the sleep duration recommendations. Method: Using data from the GEDA 2023 telephone survey, the mean sleep duration and the prevalence of adherence to sleep recommendations were calculated for weekdays, weekends and the whole week, stratified by gender, age group and educational group. In addition, bedtimes were grouped into categories and predicted probabilities of meeting the recommendations were estimated. Results: On average, the adult population in Germany sleeps for 07:26 hours per night, with longer sleep duration at the weekend, particularly among 18 – 29-year-olds (07:20 hours vs. 08:23 hours). On average, women sleep longer than men (07:31 hours vs. 07:20 hours). Overall, 51.6 % meet the recommended sleep duration, more frequently at weekends than on weekdays (54.7 % vs. 46.7 %) and among those with higher level of education (62.5 %). Later bedtimes are associated with a lower likelihood of meeting the recommendations. Conclusions: Continuous monitoring of sleep behaviour should be established as part of national health monitoring. Additional sleep parameters, such as sleep quality and sleep disorders, should also be taken into account to identify at-risk groups and to target public health measures effectively.