Australians have had a poor showing in a global survey of sleep habits, finding we rank fifth worst for nightly shut-eye.

The study, by international research company Globescan and Swedish homewares giant Ikea, surveyed 55,000 people in 57 countries.

Mainland China topped the list using the sleep score developed for the study, with a score of 74. Norway (56) and the US (57) took out the unwelcome bottom two spots.

Australia came fifth from the bottom, sharing a score of 58 with Britain and Canada.

Sleep quality score ranking across the 57 markets. Source: IKEA Sleep Report

Ikea says its sleep score was calculated based on respondents’ answers to questions about five factors that make up good sleep.

Its measure of sleep quality, ranging from zero-100, was calculated as the sum of the five factors (each scored from zero-20).

Ikea said the measurement allowed for standardised comparisons across different markets and groups by focusing on key aspects of sleep.

“We found that the global average sleep score is 63 out of 100, indicating that most of us have room to improve on how we snooze,” Ikea said.

Somewhat alarmingly, the report also found many of us are missing out  on significant rest each night. It found a global sleep gap of an hour and 20 minutes – equating to more than 20 full days of lost sleep every year.

“The sleep gap doesn’t just leave people feeling tired and fatigued. It has real-world implications. Poor sleep is seen as a public health problem, and it costs the global economy billions due to low productivity,” Ikea wrote in its report.

The study found Turks had the world’s biggest sleep gap – they want almost nine hours of sleep every night but managed an average of only six hours and 42 minutes.

At the other end of the scale, people in Japan expected only seven hours and 23 minutes of sleep a night. They had the study’s lowest sleep gap of only an hour and 13 minutes, despite getting the least sleep of all – at six hours and 10 minutes a night.

“Mainland China is the only place with a regular average of over seven hours of sleep. But for the rest of us, adequate sleep is
something we can only dream about. It’s no surprise, then, that 65 per cent of us take naps,” Ikea said.

Egyptians led the way for rating their sleep quality as good (64 per cent), while financial stress, screen time, and inconsistent routines have a negative effect on the rest of us.

The biggest obstacles to quality sleep, as identified in the study:

• 40 per cent cite stress and overthinking as their main sleep disruptors
• 72 per cent use phones in bed, increasing to 86 per cent among 18-24-year-olds
• 19 per cent rely on medication, with 5 per cent using it daily

Source: IKEA sleep report

Simple tips for better sleep

The report offers actionable recommendations, such as sticking to a routine, limiting screen time, creating a restful environment, and practicing relaxation techniques.

“With phones, it’s not about the screen or light, it’s the displacement of sleep. People spend almost an extra 40 minutes on their phone before bed,” The Sleep Scientist founder Dr Sophie Bostock said.

“When we’re tired we have lower self-control, and need to move the phone out of the room. Get an alarm clock.”

Read the full report here