My sleep cycle has always been a reflection of whatever job I was working at the time; before that, it was a reflection of whether I planned well enough in advance to avoid attending the 8 a.m. undergraduate class requirement; before that , well, I was a baby . But regardless of these extenuating circumstances, I’ve always loved late nights and a good night’s sleep. unrealistic? Obviously not in Spain. Thanks to a new sleep study that determines which country's sleep patterns you prefer, I now know that I sleep the most like Hispanic women. So I'm moving to Spain. After I learned Spanish and got a job in Spain. Baby steps.
University of Michigan mathematicians used Entrain, a free app market for jet lag sufferers, to collect data on the sleeping habits of thousands of users from more than 100 countries. The results are fascinating: Despite how much we know about sleep patterns, circadian rhythms, and REM sleep cycles, it seems that cultural pressures and obligations often trump innate tendencies.
Despite these country-specific sleep habits, there does appear to be a general pattern: On average, women sleep about 30 minutes more per night than men, making up for this by going to bed earlier and waking up later, while middle-aged men sleep the least, often Only seven hours.
Then Time magazine created a widget designed to record your bedtime and wake-up times and tell you which country you slept in, based on the study. So which country best suits your sleeping habits? Let’s look at a few:
1. If you go to bed at 12:30pm and wake up at 8:00am...
I guess we’ll just start with me, I’m a freelance writer/editor/bookseller. My life is pretty cold right now, and while I'm pretty sure I won't be able to maintain this lifestyle once grad school starts, I'm currently holding on to hope. And also planning a trip to Spain.
2. If you go to bed at 10:00 pm and wake up at 6:00 am...
That's really how people live, at least that's what I've heard. You probably work a 9 to 5 or 6 o'clock job and are super keen on starting your day with exercise. Or you're a parent. Or you're Belgian.
3. If you go to bed at 11:30pm and wake up at 7:30am...
You might be a 9-to-5 person who doesn't exercise in the morning because you know it's all about drinking coffee and getting up early and nothing else. The man from the United Arab Emirates knew what was going on.
4. If you go to bed at 1:00 AM and wake up at 7:15 AM...
You are a sleep-deprived college student. I'm very sorry.
5. If you go to bed at 11:00pm and wake up at 7:30am...
You live a wonderful life. 8.5 hours a night is the bomb. I bet you eat avocado toast every morning and drink delicious Italian coffee every morning.
Image: Unsplash; Time(5)
