Callum Jones
Scientists have revealed how much sleep Americans are getting compared to other countries across the globe as a new study examines what we know about the amount of sleep we need.
Sleeping is extremely important for a healthy lifestyle, there's no doubt about that - but many factors can make it difficult to achieve those crucial eight hours of shut eye every single night.
While it's largely believed the magic eight hours mean you can operate at an optimal level every day, some people are seemingly able to function on less, while others need close to nine or ten hours of sleep.
But according to a new study by researchers at the University of British Columbia, an optimal amount of sleep may depend on where you live.
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The experts looked into sleep and health data of 5,000 people across 20 different countries, where it was revealed that the hours of sleep required for good health varies significantly across different nations.
Dr. Steven Heine, a senior author on the study and professor of social and cultural psychology at University of British Columbia, said: "Despite the common advice to get eight hours of sleep, our findings suggest that sleep recommendations need to be adjusted based on cultural norms.
"There is no one-size-fits-all amount of sleep that works for everyone."
Americans, on average, are said to get seven hours and two minutes of sleep every single night - relatively low compared to other countries involved in the study.
Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Japan are the only other nations in the study to have less sleep than Americans.
Many studies have found links between lack of sleep and poor health, but the research done by experts at the University of British Columbia and University of Victoria found no evidence that lower sleep duration leads to increased ill health.
Dr. Christine Ou, lead author of the study and assistant professor in the school of nursing at the University of Victoria, said: "People who slept closer to their own culture’s norms for sleep duration tended to have better overall health.
"This suggests that the ideal amount of sleep is the amount that matches what is considered appropriate sleep in one’s cultural context."
As for the country that has the most sleep, well, that's France which spends seven hours and 52 minutes in bed every evening.
The Netherlands and Belgium follow shortly behind, while people in New Zealand and the UK also have over seven hours and 40 minutes kip a night on average.