A new study has found that over 50 percent of people in Switzerland struggle to get a good night's sleep. More than half of residents do not sleep through the night, with many citing stress as the main reason for disturbed sleep.

Less than half of people in Switzerland sleep well

In the Sanitas Health Forecast for 2022, the health insurance provider looked into the well-being of people across Swiss cantons and cities. As poor sleep is known to increase the likelihood of certain diseases and have a significant impact on mental health, the study paid particular attention to sleeping habits.

In all, 52 percent of respondents in Switzerland said that they do not get a good night's sleep. Only 48 percent of respondents said they slept well or very well on a regular basis. 

People in German-speaking Switzerland have the best sleep

The study noted that there were large differences between areas of Switzerland. While half of the respondents in German-speaking Switzerland said they were happy with their amount of sleep, only 43 percent of people in Geneva and Lausanne and just 40 percent in Canton Ticino were satisfied with their nightly routine.

According to neurologist Rositsa Neumann, this data is similar to wider European studies which found that sleep disorders are more common in France and Italy than they are in Germany. “This is probably due to differences in the emotional processing of stressful situations, in dealing with stress and in the perception of suffering and pain,” she explained.

Stress one of the main reasons for poor sleep

In 2022, 84 percent of people in Switzerland slept an average of seven hours a night, but the study found that the quality of sleep varied wildly. According to Sebastian Zaremba, a doctor that specialises in sleep, the main reasons for poor sleep were stress, breathing disorders like sleep apnea, and restless legs syndrome.

For 68 percent of people, this means they have to get out of bed at least once a night. Of those that do, 46 percent visit the restroom, while 45 percent say stress from work or family life wakes them up and then prevents them from getting back to sleep.