Catching zzz’s on World Sleep Day

Whether you’re an early riser, a notorious snoozer or a mid-afternoon napper, the need for sleep is one thing we all have in common. In honour of World Sleep Day on March 15, we’re taking a look at some sleepy findings and figures from the 2020 Canadian Community Health Survey.

The Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Adults recommend seven to nine hours of good-quality sleep for adults younger than 65 years and seven to eight hours for seniors. Achieving adequate rest on a regular basis with consistent sleeping and waking times maximizes health benefits. Not getting enough sleep is associated with higher rates of mortality, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, mental and cognitive disorders, and accidents and injuries.

How long do Canadians sleep?

In 2020, adults aged 18 to 64 years had an average sleep duration of 7.9 hours, with 77% meeting sleep duration recommendations. Among adults aged 65 years and older, the average sleep duration was 8.1 hours, with 55% meeting sleep duration recommendations.

Some people exceeded sleep duration recommendations, while others fell short. Overall, adults aged 65 years and older (29%) were more likely to exceed sleep duration recommendations than adults aged 18 to 64 years (5%). Meanwhile, 18% of adults aged 18 to 64 years and 15% of adults aged 65 years and older slept less than what is recommended.

On average, women (8.1 hours) slept slightly longer per night than men (7.8 hours) and were more likely to meet sleep duration recommendations (74% for women compared with 72% for men).

Sleep quality

Sleep quality refers to efficiency in going to sleep and staying asleep. Among those aged 18 to 64 years, 61% reported having high sleep quality, compared with 71% of those aged 65 years and older. Sleep quality has been shown to contribute to both physical and mental health.

About two-thirds of respondents reported having excellent or good sleep quality, with men more likely to report a good night’s sleep than women. High sleep quality was more common among seniors compared with those younger than 65 years.

Across both age groups and sexes, there was a clear association between sleep quality and sleep duration, with individuals who reported having high sleep quality being more likely to meet sleep duration recommendations than those reporting having low sleep quality. 

Factors that affect sleep duration and sleep quality

While sleep patterns are bound to fluctuate throughout our lives, a variety of common factors have shown to play a consistent role in sleep duration, sleep quality and sleep variability.

The majority of Canadian adults reported that their sleep duration and wake-up times vary between workdays and non-workdays. Half of people aged 18 to 64 years reported high variability in sleep onset time between workdays or school days and free days, and two-thirds reported high variability in sleep duration and wake time. The discrepancy in sleep between workdays and free days is often referred to as "social jet lag". In contrast, older adults had low variability in sleep duration, sleep onset time and wake time, likely because of minimal work commitments.

Getting enough exercise throughout the day can help ensure a healthy sleep. While exercising immediately before bedtime is considered detrimental to sleep, regular exercise during the day is thought to have beneficial effects on sleep duration and quality. Findings suggest that older adults who met physical activity recommendations were more likely to meet sleep duration recommendations than those who did not meet physical activity recommendations. However, there was no association between regular exercise and sleep duration among adults aged 18 to 64 years.

Studies have found associations between the use of electronics in the bedroom and shorter sleep duration, lower sleep quality and greater sleep variability. Use of electronic media within 30 minutes of bedtime was reported by 68% of those aged 18 to 64 years and 60% of older adults. The presence of electronic devices in the bedroom while sleeping was reported by 71% of those aged 18 to 64 years and 41% of older adults.

People aged 18 to 64 years who met recreational screen time recommendations (no more than 3 hours per day) were more likely to meet sleep duration recommendations than those who did not, although no association was observed in older adults. While excessive screen time may lead to shorter sleep duration through biological mechanisms, it may also take time away from sleep.

Although there are no established recommendations for sleep timing, later sleep times have been associated with adverse health outcomes. Most Canadians reported moderate sleep onset times, with 57% of those aged 18 to 64 years and 72% of older adults falling asleep between 8:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m.

For more information and findings on sleep behaviours among Canadian adults, read the full study Sleep behaviours among Canadian adults: Findings from the 2020 Canadian Community Health Survey healthy living rapid response module.