How much sleep does the average Aussie get? | 'Australia's Sleep Revolution'

8th March, 2024    |    By  SBS    |     364

Renowned British medical journalist and chronic insomniac Dr Michael Mosley is back in Australia to wake the nation up to the dangers of poor sleep with his eye-opening new three-part series Australia’s Sleep Revolution with Dr Michael Mosley, premiering on Wednesday 6 March at 7.30pm on SBS and SBS On Demand.

The deeply personal series sees Dr Mosley join thirty of the nation’s poorest sleepers as they put their bodies on the line to trial a pioneering 8-week sleep treatment program developed by the Flinders University Sleep Institute.

Following on from Dr Mosley’s previous hit SBS series Australia’s Health Revolution, Sleep Revolution unpacks the science behind common sleep conditions like insomnia and sleep apnoea. It also highlights the shocking short and long term health effects posed by bad slumber – ranging from high blood pressure to increased risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, depression, chronic disease and reduced life expectancy. Watch ‘Australia’s Sleep Revolution with Dr Michael Mosley’ on SBS On Demand: https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/tv-se…


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Video Transcription

How much sleep does the average Aussie get?

A lot of Australians have sleep problems, but do they recognize them, and what are they doing about it? Sutapa and I are going to go off and canvass opinions, and because it’s a serious subject, we have obviously dressed seriously.

Participant 1:
“I think my sleep is fairly good. I get a solid five hours a day, usually.”
“Five?”
“Yes.”
“And you see that as good?”
“Yes, it’s been worse. One of my shows doesn’t actually get off stage until like 12:40 a.m., so by the time I wind down, uh, yeah, I don’t really sleep much. Four or five hours.”

Interviewer:
“That’s pretty low, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, I would say that’s pretty low.”

Participant 2:
“I’ve gone from working split shifts to working night jobs to working day jobs, so it’s very inconsistent. What I find is I just can’t sleep a proper eight hours more often than not.”

Participant 3:
“I get between three and five hours most nights.”

Participant 4:
“He has problems with sleep because I snore.”
“Okay, because you snore?”
“I do, and so does he.”
“So, have you done anything about your snoring?”
“No, because I’m in denial.”
“Oh, you’re in denial?”
“Yeah, and so is he.”

Interviewer:
“So what are you doing that’s keeping you up? Or is it just that you can’t go to sleep?”
“I’ll lie in bed—try to go to sleep. Well, that doesn’t usually work.”
“Have you got any sense of why you have trouble going off to sleep and staying asleep?”
“Oh, the brain. Too many thoughts. That’s why I exercise.”

Participant 5:
“And what stops you sleeping properly, do you reckon?”
“Could be being on my phone.”
“Okay, you’re on the phone a lot, are you?”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“Do you recognize it as a problem?”
“Yes. I would like to get better sleep, that’s for sure. Youth is definitely on my side for now, and I know that this will not be sustainable as I get older. But right now, it’s holding together.”

Interviewer:
“So you see it as a potential problem in the near… very near future, possibly?”
“Yeah.”
“But… at the moment you’re young?”
“Yeah. I’ve got the energy to keep it up for a while.”

There are plenty of people who have sleep problems. They kind of know they’ve got sleep problems, they have solutions, but they don’t really have answers, if you know what I mean.

Interviewer:
“No, that’s right. It’s sort of a bit of trial and error.”
“Yeah, techniques that people are using, some of which work, some don’t. But yes, most people are kind of putting up with poor sleep.”