The Netherlands consistently ranks as the country getting the most sleep, with residents averaging over 8 hours nightly, closely followed by nations like New Zealand, Finland, Australia, and France, which also show high sleep durations, often exceeding 7.5 to 8 hours, according to various global sleep studies.
The Countries That Sleep for the Longest and Shortest Times
So, who is getting a good night's sleep? Citizens in Northern European countries, Australia and New Zealand have the highest proportion of people getting the recommended 7 to 9 hours sleep a night.
The koala is famous for sleeping around 20-22 hours a day, which is about 90% of the day, due to their low-energy diet of eucalyptus leaves that requires extensive digestion. Other extremely sleepy animals include the sloth (up to 20 hours) and the brown bat (around 20 hours), with some snakes like the ball python also sleeping up to 23 hours daily.
On average, Europeans get around seven hours of sleep per night, but factors such as work-life balance, air quality and daylight exposure can affect this.
According to Sleepseeker's 2025 report, Singapore has been ranked the world's most tired country, with a fatigue score of 380 out of 10, far surpassing other nations.
1. Netherlands. The Netherlands ranks at or near the top of global sleep studies, with residents averaging just over eight hours per night. Work schedules tend to end earlier than in many industrialized nations, which supports consistent bedtimes on both weekdays and weekends.
They found that, relative to non-Hispanic White Americans, Blacks/African Americans were 41% more likely to be short sleepers (6 or fewer hours); similarly, non-Mexican Hispanic adults were 26% more likely to be short sleepers, and those in the “other” category were 35% more likely to be short sleepers.
The 80/20 Rule means that you stick to your healthy, consistent sleep schedule 80% of the time. You then can make exceptions to your schedule 20% of the time. The 80/20 Rule allows you to “live life” and enjoy those special moments with your family.
Gen Z stays up late due to a combination of technology (blue light, endless content), significant stress and anxiety (FOMO, financial/global worries), biological shifts (natural teenage circadian rhythm), and "revenge bedtime procrastination," where they sacrifice sleep for personal time, often in bed, scrolling social media. This digital-heavy, high-stress lifestyle creates overstimulation and a misalignment with natural sleep patterns, leading to chronic sleep deprivation, notes the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Health Foundation.
Musk goes to bed around 3 a.m. and gets about 6 hours of sleep every night. Although he's not getting eight hours a night, Musk has upped his sleeping schedule from being nearly nonexistent in the past. In May 2023, Musk told CNBC that he's no longer pulling all-nighters.
🐌 Did You Know this amazing animal fact? A snail can sleep for up to 3 years! Yes, some snails can hibernate or go into deep sleep to survive harsh weather.
Dogs will usually sleep 12-14 hours spread throughout the day, with puppies clocking in even more hours of slumber. In fact, it's not uncommon for a dog to sleep up to 20 hours a day in their first few months of life. Sleep allows the body to recharge and repair, so it's important to let your pet enjoy their downtime.
How is their sleep level? Believe it or not, Japan and South Korea are the worst countries in this table. The issue of sleeplessness in Japan, according to a nationwide epidemiological study of insomnia, is related to “Karoshi” that literally translates as "overwork death" or “death due to the lack of sleep”.
10 hours before bed: No more caffeine. 3 hours before bed: No more food or alcohol. 2 hours before bed: No more work. 1 hour before bed: No more screen time (shut off all phones, TVs and computers).
According to a survey, the average American heads to bed at 10.36pm, falling asleep 42 minutes later. Many younger people opt for lights out at 9pm. Are they all missing out on uplifting and restorative late-night fun? Name: Bedtime.
Whilst boomers and millennials may use the 😂 emoji, this has long since been deemed 'uncool' (or 'cheugy') by Gen Z. Instead, this has been replaced by the skull (💀) or the crying emoji (😭), dramatising the idea of 'dying with laughter'.
Across much of the world, it is no longer middle-aged adults who are the most miserable. Instead, young people, especially Gen Z, are reporting the highest levels of unhappiness of any age group.
Some evidence suggests that high IQ is associated with later sleep patterns. However, it is unclear whether the relationship between IQ and later sleep is due to biological or social effects, such as the timing of working hours.
A: Yes, sleeping from 10pm to 5am provides seven hours of rest, which is within the recommended range for most adults. However, everyone's sleep needs are different. Pay attention to how you feel during the day. If you're tired, you might need to go to bed earlier or adjust your morning wake-up time.
Signs of poor core sleep (deep, restorative sleep) include waking up foggy, daytime fatigue/energy crashes, poor concentration, irritability, frequent illness, memory issues, and mood swings, indicating your brain and body aren't fully repairing and consolidating memories. You might also experience increased sugar cravings, slow muscle recovery, and a weakened immune system.
Table 1 shows that ATUS respondents slept about 502 minutes on their diary day, with men reporting less sleep than women (496 versus 508 minutes), a statistically significant difference of about 11 minutes.
Among women, African Americans are most likely to report frequent snoring, while among men, Hispanics are most likely. Data from NHANES also suggests non-Mexican Hispanics are the most likely to report both snoring as well as snorting/gasping symptoms.
The City That Never Sleeps is a ubiquitously used nickname and advertising slogan for New York City. Photographer Jacob Riis describes The Bowery as never sleeping in his 1898 book Out of Mulberry Street: Stories of Tenement Life in New York City.