Published 2 years ago
Italians and sleep
Insomnia: what causes it? And who does it target most?
The main causes of insomnia are stress, anxiety, and depression and it mostly targets the elderly, women, shift workers, and people with medical and psychological disorders.
But do Italians sleep? And how do they sleep?
It was recently found that Italians in general love sleep, but at the same time, they are rather dissatisfied with the quality of their sleep at night. Roughly 77% of Italians wake up in the morning feeling the need to sleep longer. This is most often true in young adults of the Z generation (age 18-23 years) and students, followed by Millennials and the Y generation (age 24-39 years). In general, Italians would be happy to sleep at least a couple of hours more, for an ideal 8-9 hours a night or so.
What does sleeping mean to Italians?
In Italy, sleeping means recovering one’s energy for 70% of people.
Vincenza Castronovo, psychologist and psychotherapist as well as sleep medicine expert at the Sleep Medicine Center of the San Raffaele Hospital of Milan, claims that 'during sleep, on the one hand, the brain stores information in its memory, and on the other, the body and mind recover valuable energy to face the next day'.
Regarding the quality of sleep, Dr. Castronovo goes on to say that 'Sleeping well improves a person’s quality of life and helps them have a more positive attitude, as well as to improve physical and mental strength. Poor sleep, instead, has severe consequences: it increases stress while also diminishing a person’s efficiency at work or in school, with a significant impact on physical and behavioral levels.
It’s no coincidence, in fact, that at least 3 out of 4 people become more easily irritable when their quality of sleep is bad.
Although the importance of sleeping well is almost universally understood by now (with 95% of people having some sort of strategy to follow before going to bed), 6 out of 10 Italians continue to sleep irregularly, with Baby boomers (over 55 years) at the top of the list. Those lucky enough to enjoy a regular sleep pattern are primarily independent contractors and people living in central Italy; true 'sleep lovers' live in Tuscany or Lazio.
The consequences of not sleeping well can be quite serious, but there are some good habits a person can adopt to fight insomnia. Having a healthy lifestyle, practicing sports at the right time of day, i.e., not before a person is about to go to bed, eating foods that haven’t been overly processed, especially at night, and relying on plant-based remedies, such as herbal teas with lemon balm, passionflower, and valerian are sound adjustments to a person’s routine.
Choosing the right mattress to sleep on, one that helps the body find the comfort it needs after a busy day and that thanks to its characteristics, also allows the muscles to relax, is essential. Finding a comfortable and snug position is a prerequisite to enjoying a good night’s sleep…
And what about you? Are you mindful of the quality of your sleep? Magniflex can help you improve it with mattresses that suit every need- visit our website to pick the right one for you!
