Three-in-five Canadians (60%) fall below the recommended sleep guidelines on weekdays or workdays.
Vancouver, BC [May 11, 2021] – Canadians who are having a difficult time falling asleep at night have two major concerns on their minds, a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative national sample, 43% of Canadians say financial matters made it harder for them to fall asleep at night over the past month, while 36% mention health.
Since a similar Research Co. survey conducted in December 2019, the proportion of Canadians who found it challenging to fall asleep on account of financial matters fell by six points, while those worried about health increased by seven points.
One third of Canadians (32%, =) had a hard time falling asleep on account of relationship and family concerns, while fewer were worried about work (24%, +1), Canadian politics and issues (10%< +4) and international politics and issues (9%, +3).
“More than two-in-five Canadians aged 55 and over (44%) had no trouble falling asleep over the past month,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “The numbers drop dramatically among their counterparts aged 35-to-54 (23%) and aged 18-to-34 (17%).”
Millennials are significantly more likely to have a difficult time falling asleep due to financial matters (53%) and work (42%) than Baby Boomers (31% and 7% respectively).
Health Canada guidelines recommend sleeping from 7 to 9 hours a night. Across the country, 60% of Canadians are sleeping for fewer than 7 hours on weekdays or workdays, down four points since 2019. Just under half of Canadians (49%, -2) are sleeping for fewer than 7 hours on a weekend or non-workday.
There is little change since 2019 on the feeling Canadians have after waking up each morning. Almost one-in-five respondents (18%, +1) say they are “very well rested” after a typical night’s sleep on a weekday or workday, and a majority (52%, -1) are “moderately well rested.”
About a third of women (33%), Canadians aged 35-to-54 (34%), Atlantic Canadians (also 34%) and residents of Saskatchewan and Manitoba (also 34%) deem themselves “not too well rested” or “not well rested at all” when a new workday or weekday arrives.
After a typical night’s sleep on a weekend or non-workday, the proportion of Canadians who claim to feel “very well rested” or “moderately well rested” remains at 75%.
Just over two-in-five Canadians (41%, +2) continue to say that they have a difficult time falling asleep at least 3 days a week. A slightly smaller proportion (35%, -1) find it difficult to slumber for 1 or 2 days each week, while one-in-four (24%, -1) never have problems.
Methodology:
Results are based on an online survey conducted from May 1 to May 3, 2021, among 1,000 adults in Canada. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region in Canada. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is +/- 3.1 percentage points, nineteen times out of twenty.
Find our data tables here and download the press release here.
For more information on this poll, please contact:
Mario Canseco, President, Research Co.
778.929.0490
[e] mario.canseco@researchco.ca