Taiwanese on average sleep more than eight hours a day, although around 30 percent of them suffer from some form of sleep disorder, the Taiwan Society of Sleep Med-icine on Thursday quoted a government survey as saying.
The society cited the survey, conducted two years ago by Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, at its inauguration ceremony.
The survey found that Tai-wanese women on average sleep eight hours and 46 minutes a day, or seven minutes more than Tai-wanese men.
On average, the people of Taiwan sleep 58 minutes more per day than Japanese, 36 minutes more than Canadians, and six minutes more than Australians.
The survey also found that more sleep does not necessarily mean better sleep.
With the implementation of the five-day workweek last year, more and more people in Taiwan tend to sleep more than nine hours per day on weekends to make up for lost sleep during the week
The trend is especially obvious among younger people, specifically those between the ages of 15 and 24, who sleep on average nine hours and 45 minutes per day on weekends.
Dr. Hsiao Kuang-ming of the Taipei Veterans General Hospital said that clinically speaking, around 30 percent of adults in Taiwan have some form of sleep disorder, with two-thirds of that total suffering from insomnia.
Insomnia is especially prevalent among those aged between 25 and 54, which is mostly a result of psychological, social or work pressure, he said.
Other sleep disorders suffered by people in Taiwan include snoring, sleep addiction, breath suspension or cramps during sleep, Hsiao said.
He said that youngsters often face pressure related to their studies or are addicted to cybercafes, both of which result in sleep loss which in turn is detrimental to their health.
Hsiao noted that his hospital, Taiwan National University Hospital, the Veterans General Hospital and the Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Linkou have established sleep laboratories to help sleep disorder patients improve the quality of their sleep.
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