What country gets the most sleep?
New Zealand tops the average sleep by country rankings at 7 hours 3 minutes on weeknights, the longest of the 35 countries in the study. It is one of only four countries to clear the 7-hour mark, alongside Finland, the Netherlands and Ireland.
Condé Nast Traveller has reported that New Zealand's high sleep totals are linked to factors such as low light pollution and relatively sparse population density.3 The same data from Sleep Cycle cited by the World Economic Forum placed New Zealand first among the countries it tracked, with several European nations also above seven and a half hours in that separate dataset.3 The Oura ring study measured here covers weeknights specifically, and most countries sit within 17 minutes of each other between Italy and New Zealand, so neighbouring ranks are not meaningful differences.
Why do Asian and Gulf countries sleep so much less?
The seven shortest-sleeping countries in the 35-country dataset are all in Asia or the Gulf: the United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, India, South Korea and Japan, each under 6 hours 40 minutes on weeknights.
Condé Nast Traveller points to Japan's long working hours and lengthy commuting times, citing research from the NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, as factors behind its position at the bottom of sleep rankings.3 The outlet also notes that Japan has a term, karoshi, for deaths linked to excessive work hours and high job pressure, with insufficient rest as a contributing element.3 The CDC declared insufficient sleep a public health epidemic in 2014, and the Rand Corporation has estimated that the US alone loses the equivalent of around 1.2 million working days per year because of workforce sleep deficits.3 The chart data cover 2021, when COVID-19 rules still shaped work and school in many countries, so current figures may differ.
Do we actually gain an hour of sleep when clocks fall back?
The extra hour from the fall back time change is real, but the body does not simply pocket it as bonus sleep. According to Quartz, the internal circadian system does not reset the moment a clock changes: the suprachiasmatic nucleus, the brain's master clock, needs several days to catch up, nudging itself by a limited amount each day.4
Quartz reports that most healthy adults are back in sync within two to five days, though adjustment can stretch closer to a week.4 During that window, sleep can feel lighter than usual, wake times drift by 20 or 30 minutes from one morning to the next, and grogginess can linger through the first hour or two after waking even after a full night in bed.4 The fall change is easier than the spring one: the human circadian period runs slightly longer than 24 hours, making the advance required in autumn less demanding than the delay required in March.4
For people with insomnia, sleep apnea or seasonal mood changes, Quartz notes, the same one-hour move lands harder and lasts longer.4 The chart shows the average sleep time by country gains only a median of 17 minutes on weekend nights, so the clocks' extra hour still represents more catch-up than three typical weekend nights bring.
What do sleep experts say is the cost of chronic short sleep?
Prof Russell G Foster, chair of Circadian Neuroscience at the University of Oxford, says the cost of cutting sleep is clear: reducing it comes at a price to cognition, empathy and memory.2 He describes the body's stress response to sleep loss as being like a car left in first gear: useful for a short burst, but destructive if sustained.2
Foster notes that during sleep the glymphatic system clears toxins including beta amyloid, which predisposes people to Alzheimer's, and that poor sleep during middle age is a risk factor for dementia in later years.2 He also says 97 per cent of night-shift workers never fully adapt to working at night, with consequences including cognitive changes, lack of empathy and memory problems, and a divorce rate six times higher than among day-shift workers.2 Dr Tom Chambers, a European Sleep Research Society-certified somnologist quoted by BBC Science Focus, frames the biology plainly: your body dictates how much sleep you need, and reducing it is possible but always carries a cost.2
Will the US ever stop changing the clocks?
The US has not stopped changing the clocks, and as of Oct 25, 2026, no federal law has passed to end the twice-yearly switch. The Old Farmer's Almanac reports that the House passed the Sunshine Protection Act in July 2026 to make daylight saving time permanent, but the measure has not become law.1
The Almanac notes that 29 states are actively pursuing some form of permanent time change: 19 have passed laws or resolutions for year-round DST pending federal approval, 6 are pursuing permanent standard time, and 4 have considered contingent proposals.1 Texas passed a law in June 2025 aiming for year-round DST, but it cannot take effect without Congress acting first.1 Public opinion is divided: a 2022 CBS News poll found 46 per cent wanted permanent DST, 33 per cent preferred permanent standard time and 21 per cent were content with switching twice a year.1 The Almanac concludes that until Congress resolves which time to adopt permanently, Americans will keep falling back and springing forward.1