The Chinese middle class, now estimated at more than half a billion, has become a key driver for the country's economy. However 46.58% of them now suffer from insomnia, which puts their health at risk.
That is according to a white paper on sleep quality of the Chinese middle class. The white paper was released just ahead of the World Sleep Day, which fell on March 18 this year.
This year's Sleep Day is marked in China, with a theme titled "Good Sleep, Fly High and Dream Big".
Dr. Han Fang is the chairman of the Chinese Sleep Research Society. He explains why China has such a theme to celebrate World Sleep Day:
"The theme of World Sleep Day this year is 'Good sleep is a reachable dream', which means good sleep is something that can be achieved through medical care and intervention. Nowadays we often talk about the Chinese dream, targeting the goal of the "great renewal of the Chinese nation", thus we give an adapted interpretation to suit Chinese conditions, which is "Good sleep is an inevitable part in flying high and dreaming big".
Over the past 16 years since the country introduced the World Sleep Day to its people, the population of the middle class in China has seen a rapid growth. The statistics from Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan fact tank, shows that from 2001 to 2011, the share of Chinese who are middle income jumped from 3% to 18%.
However, this group of people who face intensive pressure now have trouble in sleeping, which is partly due to their bad habits.
Liu Zhuxi is in the data management office with "TouTiao.com", a very popular online news feed that assists in the launch of this white paper.
"Almost half of surveyed people have bad sleep habits including chat on mobile phones or computers before sleep. And nearly twenty percent say they consider work-related issues before going to sleep."
The white paper has been launched, based on an analysis of data collected among 13-million people in a survey initiated by De Rucci Bedding Co, Ltd.
The white paper shows 46.58% of the surveyed Chinese middle class suffer from insomnia, with 82-percent having trouble sleeping. Liu Zhuxi explains:
"The common problems that people who usually suffer from poor sleep include light sleep and being oftentimes disturbed in the middle of the night."
Scientific researches show occasional insomnia may cause fatigue and behaviour disorders, but constant insomnia may result in confusion and difficulties in memorising and organising tasks, doubling the possibility of accidents.
However, few people with trouble falling asleep take it seriously, as pointed out in the Paper. Liu Zhuxi again:
"The issue is that people fail to realize how seriously insomnia might affect their lives. In addition to the 46 percent of people who have experienced insomnia, there are another 15-percent who are suspected with trouble sleeping, but failed to go to see a doctor to diagnose their problem."
Also, according to the survey results, residents of small cities sleep better than their counterparts in big metropolis' like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, who devote a lot more attention to their work and career path.
On the same day as the White Paper was launched, a guideline for early diagnosis and treatment on sleep disorder has also been issued. This guideline covers a wider variety of people other than the Chinese middle class.
Zhang Bin, associate chief physician with the Guangdong provincial Institute for Mental Health Research, is one of the medical experts who have edited the guidelines.
"The guideline includes a section dedicated to sleep disorders in children, pregnant women and the elderly. It also mentions approaches on medical intervention, like an application of traditional Chinese medicine."
According to the Chinese Sleep Research Society, about 38.2 percent of the Chinese adults suffer from insomnia, a higher rate than the world average level which is approximately seven percent.
http://gbtimes.com/china/nearly-half-chinas-middle-income-class-suffer-insomnia
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