The World Can't Sleep - The "Sleep Crisis" Highlighting the Cost of Work, Anxiety, and Smartphones

"I know sleep is important."

In today's age, few would argue against this statement. The problem is that this "knowing" doesn't have the power to change our real lives. What global surveys have revealed is not that we underestimate sleep, but rather that we are embedded in lifestyles that prevent us from protecting our sleep—a troublesome reality.

The 2026 Global Sleep Survey by Resmed, based on responses from 30,000 people across 13 countries, highlighted the severe "gap between sleep awareness and reality" that the world is facing. In the survey, 53% said that sleep is the most important factor for living a long and healthy life, and 84% understood that high-quality, stable sleep contributes to a healthy lifespan. However, more than half of the respondents felt they "slept well" only four days or less per week. In other words, many people know the importance of sleep but cannot secure it.

The biggest factor behind this was anxiety and stress. In the survey, the top factor hindering sleep quality was stress or anxiety at 39%, followed by work at 22%, screen use before bed at 21%, household chores at 19%, and sleep disorders at 18%. The crucial point here is that the causes of sleep deprivation are not singular. It's not just anxiety, work, or smartphones. Mental tension, working hours, lifestyle flow, household role distribution, and lack of access to healthcare all flood into the nighttime.

This structure explains well the contradiction many people feel of being "tired but unable to sleep." The body is at its limit, but the mind won't stop. Thoughts of tasks to be done start, you remember messages you haven't replied to, you rehearse work plans after getting into bed, and before you know it, you're opening your smartphone. Moreover, screen use is not just a waste of time; it can also affect sleep timing and drowsiness. Public information from the CDC indicates that the light and stimulation from computers and smartphones before bed can disrupt sleep, and recent studies have linked high screen use to delayed bedtimes and sleep deprivation.

Another crucial point is that sleep problems are not about "lack of willpower" but are directly linked to health and social participation. The US NHLBI and CDC explain that chronic sleep deprivation is related to physical and mental health issues, decreased concentration, productivity loss, increased accident risk, and long-term health problems. It's not just about feeling bad in the morning or being sleepy during the day. Continuous sleepless nights erode the foundation of work style, emotional stability, judgment, and long-term health.

What was particularly striking in this survey is the reality that women's sleep is more vulnerable. The percentage of women who said they could sleep soundly only four days or less per week was 56%, surpassing 50% for men. The percentage of women complaining of difficulty falling asleep was 48%, compared to 42% for men. The percentage of women who said they didn't feel rested even after waking up was 52%, compared to 46% for men. Furthermore, related announcements indicated that stress, anxiety, and family responsibilities have a greater impact on women's sleep. This suggests not just a difference in constitution but that mental and physical burdens and household roles are carried into the night.

In fact, reactions to this point are strong on social media. On Resmed's Instagram and Facebook posts, there were numerous posts highlighting how women's difficulty falling asleep, mental burdens, hormonal fluctuations, and responsibilities for household chores and care are robbing them of sleep, spreading based on empathy. This reflects the perception that "it's not a lack of effort, but the total burden is different." Discussions about sleep tend to be reduced to individual lifestyle improvement techniques, but on social media, they are read more as issues of "distribution of social burdens."

The numbers concerning the workplace are also serious. In the survey, 58% felt that heavy workloads worsened their sleep, and 70% reported having taken a "snooze day," or a day off work due to fatigue, after a night of poor sleep. 67% acknowledged that sleep deprivation affects concentration and work performance. On the other hand, while 66% wanted to consult a doctor if sleep problems persisted, only 23% actually sought medical advice. They feel the need but can't take action. This is another modern issue of "knowing but not acting."

On social media, this "conflict between work and sleep" is also very vivid. In insomnia-related communities on Reddit, people in high-stress professions talk about feeling like they're the only ones handicapped at work on sleepless days, and other posts share the vicious cycle where anxiety leads to sleep anxiety, which further exacerbates sleeplessness. The "stress-anxiety-work" triangle highlighted by the survey is repeatedly expressed not only in numbers but also in the words of those affected.

Another aspect that cannot be overlooked is "who you sleep with." The survey found that 80% of people who sleep with a partner experience some form of sleep disturbance, with the most common factor being snoring or loud breathing. Women are particularly more susceptible to the impact of a partner's snoring. On social media, there are multiple posts about being driven to tears by a partner's snoring or feeling anxious about sleeping in the same room. While sleep is associated with love and security, in reality, it is also a time when "relationship friction" quietly but deeply surfaces.

What we need to consider here is that the essence of the sleep crisis is not that we have "forgotten how to sleep," but that the "conditions for sleeping have collapsed." Work extends into the night. We look at screens until just before bed. Household role distribution is skewed. Even if we have worries, we can't connect to a place for consultation. There are differences in snoring or lifestyle rhythms with partners. Yet, we are expected to wake up at the same time and deliver the same level of performance the next morning. In this society, sleep is closer to the finish line of an obstacle course than a rest.

So, what can be done? There is no magical answer, but at least the direction is clear. Public institutions repeatedly recommend aligning bedtime and wake-up times, having a quiet hour before bed, keeping the bedroom dark, quiet, and cool, and avoiding caffeine, alcohol, and strong light. These basics may seem mundane, but precisely because our lives are encroaching on sleep, it's necessary to deliberately create "boundaries for sleep." Of course, if snoring, sleep apnea, or insomnia persists, it's important to connect to medical care rather than handling it with self-care alone.

What this sleep crisis indicates is not a simple story of "more people can't sleep." Health awareness has increased. The importance of sleep is known. The use of wearable devices has significantly increased from 16% in 2025 to 53% in 2026. Yet, people still can't sleep. This means we are in a society where, even though we know the problem, the structure of life doesn't change.

This is precisely the sentiment spreading on social media. Alongside the relief of "I wasn't the only one," there's a resignation that "everyone is suffering, yet society hasn't changed." Sleep deprivation cannot be resolved with perseverance or self-help. Work styles that require cutting into the night, invisible household burdens, uninterrupted notifications, delayed consultations—all these accumulate and manifest as a result. The sleep crisis is a crisis of living design that can no longer protect the night, even before it is a crisis of sleep itself.

What is truly needed is not a well-meaning slogan like "Let's go to bed earlier." It's about redesigning conditions such as ease of finishing work, distribution of household chores and care, ease of consulting healthcare, and environments where one doesn't have to stay connected at night. Sleep is something that individuals can protect through effort, but it cannot be fully protected by individual effort alone. The global sleep crisis highlights this obvious fact.

Source URL

1. The Age
   https://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/health-and-wellness/global-sleep-crisis-revealed-20260313-p5oa4t.html

2. Resmed "2026 Global Sleep Survey" Special Page
   Overview of the survey that forms the central basis of this article. It covers the importance of sleep, factors hindering sleep, gender differences, workplace impact, and sleep issues with partners.
   https://sleepsurvey.resmed.com/

3. Resmed Survey Release
   The survey covers 30,000 people in 13 countries, with 53% prioritizing sleep, 66% intending to consult a doctor but only 23% actually doing so, and an increase in wearable use, providing numerical evidence.
   https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/03/03/3248037/0/en/Resmed-s-Global-Sleep-Survey-Reveals-Sleep-is-One-of-the-Top-Health-Priorities-but-Quality-Rest-Remains-Out-of-Reach.html

4. Resmed Official Instagram/Facebook Related Posts
   To check how the survey results are presented on social media, especially reactions to the "gap between sleep awareness and reality" and "women's sleep burden."
   https://www.instagram.com/p/DVdlKuQjmJC/
   https://www.instagram.com/p/DVojWuIEmS1/
   https://www.facebook.com/Resmed/posts/resmeds-2026-global-sleep-survey-results-are-in-globally-people-rank-quality-sle/1345355480967337/
   https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1350375080465377&set=a.623199806516245&type=3

5. The Sleep Charity's Facebook Post
   Reference for how third-party sleep-related organizations perceive these survey results.
   https://www.facebook.com/TheSleepCharity/posts/its-always-great-to-get-some-new-sleep-stats-so-we-were-delighted-to-see-the-new/1227869142836509/

6. NHLBI (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Health Effects of Sleep Deprivation
   Public evidence of the impact of sleep deprivation on physical and mental health, productivity, and accident risk.
   https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep-deprivation
   https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep/why-sleep-important

7. NHLBI Healthy Sleep Habits
   Public evidence on measures such as fixed bedtime and wake-up times, quiet time before bed, and bedroom environment.
   https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep-deprivation/healthy-sleep-habits
   https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/heart-healthy-living/sleep

8. CDC/NIOSH and CDC Related Materials
   Public reference materials on the relationship between screen use before bed and sleep deprivation and health issues.
   https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/work-hour-training-for-nurses/longhours/mod6/07.html
   https://www.cdc.gov/heart-disease/about/sleep-and-heart-health.html
   https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2025/24_0537.htm

9. Reddit User Reactions
   To confirm vivid reactions shared on social media regarding "work and insomnia," "sleep anxiety," and "partner's snoring."
   https://www.reddit.com/r/insomnia/comments/jifqfj/for_those_that_have_professional_careers_and/
   https://www.reddit.com/r/insomnia/comments/1jicj8h/i_was_in_a_stressful_period_now_im_fine_but_i/
   https://www.reddit.com/r/insomnia/comments/1mh8xpk/im_completely_losing_my_life/
   https://www.reddit.com/r/sleep/comments/1pyps9e/in_tears_from_sleep_deprivation_due_to_partners/
   https://www.reddit.com/r/sleep/comments/1nk9k94/anyone_else_feel_like_snoring_is_slowly_wrecking/
   https://www.reddit.com/r/sleep/comments/1rake9t/cant_sleep_with_someone_else_in_bed/