Clock Changes Takes a Toll on Sleep, With Younger Generations Most Disrupted

When looking into how much of an impact the clock change has on people the morning after, one thing is clear: everyone’s sleep patterns are affected. In fact, people fall asleep on average 37 minutes later than the previous night, and wake up 34 minutes earlier. While losing sleep isn’t easy at any age, those in their twenties likely felt it the most, losing half-an-hour more than everyone else thanks to an extremely late bedtime and a seeming inability to sleep in.

Sleep patterns remained inconsistent in the days following the time change as people struggled to return to their regular bedtimes and wake times, and those in their twenties again seemed to be affected the most. Unable to get their sleep patterns under control, this cohort continued to fall sleep more than 20 minutes later than normal, yet woke up only 5 minutes later – missing critical rest. By the third week, sleep patterns for all age groups were still not back to normal, with bedtimes 3 minutes later and wake up times still 14 minutes earlier than average.

Sleep Score – calculated based on an evaluation of a user’s total sleep time, time awake, sleep cycle, plus physical and mental recovery – was at the worst level for weeks after – and again, people in their twenties appeared to be most affected. When looking at the seven-day Sleep Score average, the twenties age group demonstrated the slowest score recovery rate, while older age groups adapted much quicker.

Useful Tips to Help You Recover for a Good Night’s Sleep

The time transition clearly affects the sleep patterns of all age groups long after the clocks change, but for younger generations, prioritising sleep management during this time couldn’t be more important. Sleep is essential for rest and repair of our body, as well as good physical and mental health^[2].

In recognition of the clock changes, Sleep scientist and Samsung Wellness Council member, Vanessa Hill, shares useful tips in collaboration with Samsung Health on how to harness technology to understand your sleep patterns and habits for a better night’s rest as the clocks change.

Creating an ideal sleep environment is critical to a good night’s sleep.

Later this month, a Samsung Health app update^[3] will make this possible by receiving insights into the key factors that influence sleep quality, including temperature, humidity, air quality and light intensity via a Sleep environment report^[4] – leveraging Samsung’s home-based technology and the power of its extensive device ecosystem. With a better understanding of how your environment affects sleep, you can easily optimise your room conditions for an improved night’s rest.

In addition to perfecting your sleep environment, understanding how activity levels can impact sleep quality is key.

Samsung Health updates also bring enhancements to Energy Score, which provides an indicator of how much energy users can expend throughout the day. In addition to sleep and heart rate, a new detailed factor about activity – Activity Balance – will help you understand overall conditions in greater detail by evaluating the consistency of activity levels based on recent data from the past 2 weeks.

It can be helpful to understand how you’re sleeping and then make necessary adjustments through sleep coaching.

Sleep Coaching^[5] makes this simple by seamlessly tracking your sleep patterns over 7 days and assigning a sleep animal based on the results. With a personally tailored coaching program, develop healthy habits and routines that set you on a positive path to achieving your sleep goals.

[1] Findings analysed sleep data of Samsung Health users via Galaxy Watch series and Galaxy Ring during DST in the spring of 2024.

[2] https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/mental-health-issues/sleep/

[3] Not intended for use in the detection, diagnosis, treatment, monitoring or management of any medical condition. Certain features may vary by market, carrier or paired device.

[4] Sleep Environment report feature will be available on smartphone with One UI 7 and Samsung Health app version 6.29.5 or later.

[5] Requires sleep data of at least 7 days, including 2 days off.

LONDON, UK – 22nd November 2023 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd: The UK is a nation of restless sleepers, with over a fifth (22%) of adults confessing to accidentally snoozing at work.

In fact, Samsung’s 2023 Global Sleep Health Study^[1] – the latest global study of its kind analysing 716 million nights of sleep behaviours from Samsung Health users worldwide – revealed the UK is the country with the lowest sleep efficiency^[2] in Europe.

The study categorises various types of sleepers into eight ‘Sleep Animals’ based on sleep patterns^[3]. The Sleep Animals each represent unique characteristics based on measuring the Galaxy Watch users sleep duration, consistency, and awake time – all of which influence sleep quality.

Move over ‘early birds’, as the most common sleep persona in the UK1 is the light-sleeping Nervous Penguin, defined as those who maintain healthy circadian rhythms yet frequently experience interruptions during sleep, in turn affecting sleep efficiency.

And when it comes to sleep-haps, the UK’s poor sleep isn’t just affecting adults at work, with new research by Samsung (for the launch of the Galaxy Watch6), revealing that in the cinema (29%), on the toilet (10%), and even at the club (12%) are some of the other unexpected spots where the nation is nodding off.

So, what’s causing adults to start dozing at these inconvenient moments? 45% of the nation admit that they stay up too late, with the average bedtime for UK adults being 11:54PM1.

A further 32% of the UK say working too hard is stopping them from getting much-needed rest, followed by 25% of adults who say overindulging in food is to blame.

And sleep disruptions don’t just lie with Brits, as globally the average sleep duration has dropped from 7 hours and 3 minutes to 6 hours and 59 minutes, falling below the recommended 7-hour threshold set by the National Sleep Foundation1.

Sleep debt, which measures the sleep inconsistency that indexes the gap between the amount of sleep during weekdays compared to the weekend, and is a key contributor to global sleep issues as sleep consistency plays a major role in how sleep quality is determined. Globally, young adults in their 20s have nearly double the sleep debt compared to those in their 70s: 49 minutes versus 29 minutes, respectively1

In a society plagued by these bedtime battles, new research reveals that 1 in 4 (25%) of adults now dread bedtime as they know they will struggle to get to sleep. From avoiding caffeine (43%) to taking sleep medication (17%), Brits have tried it all to get a good night’s sleep, yet only 12% use a smartwatch to monitor their sleeping patterns.

But, interestingly, the number of people actively tracking sleep each week in 2023 increased 182% from 2021, according to Samsung Health app data, indicating more users are putting sleep as a priority and trying to improve it.

And with 30% of UK adults interested in learning more about their sleep personality, Samsung has partnered with Dr Julie Smith to reveal how the Samsung Sleep Animal personas on the Galaxy Watch6 can be the key to unlocking a better night’s sleep.

Dr Julie Smith, Clinical Psychologist, Author, and Content Creator, said, “If you fall asleep during the day without intending to, that is a clear sign of not getting enough sleep at night to stay healthy. This research suggests we could all do with working on improving our poor habits when it comes to our bedtime routines. But to do this we need to have a good understanding of our sleeping habits. From the sensitive hedgehog to the nervous penguin, the sleep personas on the Galaxy Watch6 offer an enjoyable lens to monitor your sleeping patterns, alongside actionable tips for better rest.”

Annika Bizon, Marketing and Omnichannel Director for Samsung UK, added, “Samsung is committed to understanding sleep health better, and through analysing the sleep patterns of millions worldwide, we’re able to understand how technology can play a role in helping people establish healthier habits. To start improving the quality of your sleep, understanding how you sleep is key, and the Galaxy Watch6 offers actionable tips to help users to overcome bad habits.”

To help all Brits to maintain a steady sleeping pattern all week long, Dr Julie shares her top tips, including how to use the Galaxy Watch6 to reach sleep success:

1. The best way to change unhealthy habits around sleep is to get clear on the things you are doing that contribute to that later bedtime, from the bigger things down to the smaller details. When I set myself the challenge of improving my own habits around sleep, I tracked my sleep using the Samsung Galaxy Watch6. It’s able to categorise sleepers based on unique characteristics that affect your sleep quality, using your results to liken your sleep to a particular animal, which is a fun way to remind you of what areas you need to work on.
2. Once you have an idea of the habits that cause you to stay up late, target those one at a time. Start with something that feels easy to change and make that sustainable over time. This will build some momentum, so you will be less likely to give up and you’ll start to feel the benefits of improved sleep much sooner. Once that new habit is established, then move on to work on the others.
3. Keep tracking your new habits and your sleep for longer than you think is necessary. It is extremely easy to slip back into those old ways when your goals are not at the forefront of your mind. It also helps to keep you motivated and on track each time see that your new habits are leading to better sleep.

The new Samsung Galaxy Watch6 series provides powerful insights that can lead to positive changes around the clock, offering personalised and actionable tips, advice, and encouragement. Recognising that better health begins with better sleep, Samsung is helping users optimise their night in the same way they optimise their day.

To learn more about Samsung’s Global Sleep Health Study, please visit: Have We Been Sleeping Well? Samsung Answers the Age-Old Question With the Global Sleep Health Study

[1] Samsung’s Global Sleep Health Study, analysing 716M nights of sleep behaviours from Samsung Health users worldwide – https://news.samsung.com/global/have-we-been-sleeping-well-samsung-answers-the-age-old-question-with-the-global-sleep-health-study

[2] Defined as the amount of time spent in bed relative to the amount of actual sleep.

[3] Requires sleep data of at least 7 days, including 2 days off. See overview of Sleep Animals chart in Editors notes.

What’s causing couples to resort to this unexpected arrangement? Nearly a quarter of adults in a relationship say they’re not ‘sleep compatible’ with their other half, with 23% blaming their partner’s sleeping habits for getting fewer than 5 hours of sleep a night.

The research commissioned by Samsung (for the launch of the Galaxy Watch6) also revealed that snoring (71%), restless sleeping/fidgeting (35%), and one or both waking up several times during the night (30%), are the factors topping the list of things that keep couples sleeping apart.

Despite this, all is not lost. As over three-quarters (77%) believe going to sleep next to and waking next to their partner is important, and nearly half (45%) feel getting a better night’s sleep with their partner would positively improve their relationship.

And while sleep-related issues or disagreements amongst couples are leaving the nation feeling exhausted/tired (41%), stressed (30%), and unproductive (15%), nearly two-thirds (62%) feel it is important to find a solution, to avoid sleeping separately to their partner.

To help bring harmony back to the bedroom, Samsung has teamed up with Clinical Psychologist and Sleep Expert Dr. Julie Smith, to show how the Galaxy Watch6 ‘Sleep Coaching’ function can help couples understand their sleeping habits better and put a stop to sleep divorce for good.

Dr. Julie Smith, Clinical Psychologist, Author, and Content Creator, said, “It seems a shame to resort to sleep divorce to get a good night’s sleep when neither of you would otherwise choose to sleep apart. So, if one or both partners are disturbing the sleep of the other, it makes sense to work out which of your habits around sleep might be making that worse. You can start by using a device to log your sleep patterns for you, like the Samsung Galaxy Watch6. The good news is that many of these bad sleeping habits are fixable, without having to resort to sleeping apart.”

“As nearly half of the UK’s couples struggle with each other’s sleeping habits, the new sleep features on the Samsung Galaxy Watch6 can provide meaningful insights that can lead to positive changes. With an in-depth analysis of sleep duration, quality, and cycles, couples can use the data to better understand each other’s personal sleep patterns – meaning a better night’s sleep for all,” said Annika Bizon, Marketing and Omnichannel Director for Samsung UK.

To help couples improve their sleeping routines, Dr. Julie shares her top tips for avoiding sleep disruptions, including how to use the Galaxy Watch6 to reach sleep success:

1. Taking hold of your sleep routine isn’t just about what you do when it comes to winding down in the evening, it includes a combination of different things you do throughout the day. Getting to grips with all the variables that can impact sleep can be overwhelming. Samsung’s Galaxy Watch6 has a Sleep Coaching feature which includes a tailored programme of tips to help guide the process, along with handy features like Snore Detection to help users find out more about their snoring habits.
2. Get to know the problem in more detail by considering all the things that may contribute to sleep disturbance for you or your partner. It is quite possible that some small changes could make a positive difference to sleep for both of you so that you don’t need to sleep apart.
3. Breaking old habits and forming new ones can be difficult. So, this is something to work on together, offering support and holding each other accountable. Couples see better outcomes when they see themselves as a team working on a problem, rather than seeing the other person as the problem.

When it comes to comparing the regions across the UK, those living in Northern Ireland have proven to be the most likely to sleep separately from their partners, with 73% citing sleep disruption as the main reason.

The region’s most likely to have partners sleeping in separate rooms:

• Northern Ireland (73%)
• Yorkshire and the Humber (71%)
• South West (68%)
• North East (66%)
• Wales (65%)

The new Samsung Galaxy Watch6 series provides powerful insights that can lead to positive changes around the clock, offering personalised and actionable tips, advice, and encouragement. Recognizing that better health begins with better sleep, Samsung is helping users optimise their night in the same way they optimize their day.

To learn more about the Samsung Galaxy Watch6 and Galaxy Watch6 Classic, please visit: Samsung Galaxy Watch6 and Galaxy Watch6 Classic: Inspiring Your Best Self, Day and Night – Samsung Global Newsroom

In a bid to stay energised, over a third (34%) want to try new things to improve their sleep quality. This includes alternative techniques (30%), using tech (21%), tracking their snooze metrics (21%), but most popularly ‘sleep syncing’ (57%).

The term ‘sleep syncing’ refers to how you adjust your sleep schedule to marry with your daily routine, ensuring your body is sleeping and waking when it should be and is in line with your natural circadian rhythm. From smart lights to sound therapy to wearable technology like the Galaxy Watch5, there are many powerful tools out there to complement your sleep syncing routine, for improving that all-needed sleep quality. Using advanced sensors and algorithms, the Galaxy Watch5 can track key metrics like sleep duration, quality, and cycles, and provide tailored recommendations for optimising your sleep.

Despite the nation’s eagerness to get a better night’s kip, 64% of Gen Z and millennials aren’t sure of where to start when it comes to reviving their rest routine, so Samsung has enlisted the support of Para-athlete and sleep-fanatic, Milly Pickles, to help tired heads get their schedule back on track.

Adaptive Athlete, Milly Pickles adds:

“As a highly active individual, getting enough quality sleep is key to performing at my best. Especially as amputees burn up to 30% more calories so I get tired very easily. It’s not just about feeling rested, but also about giving my body and mind the chance to recover and recharge. Sleep syncing has really changed the way I approach my daily routine and I’ve noticed such a difference in my energy levels when I’m intentional with how and when I wind down.

I’ve been using the Galaxy Watch5 to track my sleep patterns and get personalised insights to help me get better quality sleep… it’s literally like having a personal sleep coach on my wrist!”

Milly’s top hacks for sleep syncing to beat the shift in seasons:

• Get sunlight exposure in the morning – Go on a walk. Doing this helps reset your body’s inner ‘sleep clock’ and resets your circadian rhythm. Light is a super important cue that helps your body figure out when it is best to sleep.
• Avoid blue light at night – It negatively impacts your body’s ability to produce melatonin which is the hormone that makes you feel sleepy.
• Create a sleep syncing routine that is tailored to you – I used to struggle with my night routine but since using the ‘Sleep Coaching’ feature on the Samsung Galaxy Watch5, I get better insights into how I’m sleeping, as well as a tailored program of helpful tips on how to optimise my sleep. It’s amazing!
• Learn all about the different sleep stages – A great book I’ve read is “Why we sleep” by Matthew Walker. Within it, you learn all about non-REM and REM sleep. Knowing about these sleep stages helps can help you understand the quality of sleep you are having.
• Make time to wind down in the evening – The Samsung Galaxy Watch5 really helps me with this. The ‘Sleep Coaching’ feature notifies you when it’s a good time for you to start to get ready for bed, based on an analysis of your sleeping pattern. In the process of winding down, it suggests content that will help you sleep better e.g., evening stretches.

By embracing the latest ‘sleep syncing’ trend, the nation can help keep that ‘spring’ in their step as they wake feeling more energised and ready for the days ahead. Visit Milly’s TikTok channel to hear more: https://www.tiktok.com/@millypickles/video/7221617520136981766

To find out more about Samsung’s Galaxy Watch5, please visit: https://www.samsung.com/uk/watches/galaxy-watch/galaxy-watch5-44mm-sapphire-bt-sm-r910nzbaeua/

London, UK – There’s a reason we sleep for approximately a third of our lives – sleep enables our bodies and minds to recover, and a lack of it reduces our ability to perform well and think clearly. Yet for many, achieving good sleep is a challenge that has only got worse over the past few years. That’s why Samsung is bringing sleep to the forefront by recognising that quality sleep is foundational to our holistic health, and drawing attention to the importance of healthy sleeping habits worldwide.

Samsung wants to help people optimise their nights like they do their days through innovative technologies like Galaxy Watch5 series. As sleep monitoring emerges as a health trend, already approximately 50% of Galaxy Watch users track their sleep patterns at least once a week, with 40% of them doing so more than three times a week^[1]. This helps build good habits, since once you better understand your sleep patterns, it becomes easier to improve and maintain them, leading to a healthier night’s sleep.

To celebrate World Sleep Day on March 17, as well as Sleep Awareness Week® by the National Sleep Foundation, Samsung is sharing useful tips for achieving a good night’s sleep^[2].

Understand Your Sleep Pattern to Build Better Habits

As everyone’s sleep pattern is different, it’s important to learn what’s unique about yours, and Samsung has made tracking and understanding that easy. Take Galaxy Watch’s BioActive Sensor. It monitors your unique sleeping patterns – whether you are awake, when you achieve deep sleep, and your blood oxygen level, for example – and presents the results to you the next morning in the Samsung Health app in a user-friendly, easy-to-understand way.

But tracking isn’t enough by itself – establishing good habits is equally important, and Samsung makes it easy with Sleep Coaching. It uses a personally tailored month-long program that tracks your sleep pattern over seven days, and then assigns one of eight sleep symbol animals to represent it. Sleep Coaching then sets you on a path to set healthy habits and routines to help you achieve a good night’s sleep more consistently. It keeps track of your daily activities and then gives tips and guidance to better manage them, from exercise and nutrition to mindfulness and health monitoring.

Create a Sleep-friendly Environment

Even our sleep environment matters, and seemingly small things like screen light or room temperature can impact our sleep. Reduce distractions from your mobile devices by automatically syncing Sleep Mode between your Galaxy smartphone and Watch to mute notifications and change the phone background to grayscale. It also turns off Always On Display and ensures your Galaxy Watch will not activate when you touch the display or move your wrist.

And when it comes to connected home devices, SmartThings lets you control a wide range of smart home products manufactured by both Samsung and partners. Galaxy Watch can also track when you fall asleep each night and automatically close bedroom blinds or turn off lights and the air conditioner.

With a better understanding of your sleep patterns, you can set positive habits to achieve better sleep and make a positive impact on your overall wellness. Samsung is committed to continue enhancing our unique health experiences with solutions centred in sleep. Ongoing strategic partnerships with industry leaders, including the National Sleep Foundation, will continue to deliver on Samsung’s holistic sleep vision, offering even more intuitive and actionable insights to help everyone achieve their wellness goals.

To learn more about the Galaxy Watch5 and Galaxy Watch5 Pro please visit:
Galaxy Watch5: www.samsung.com/galaxy-watch5
Galaxy Watch5 Pro: www.samsung.com/galaxy-watch5-pro

[1] Based on Samsung Health weekly active users with Galaxy Watch4 and Galaxy Watch5.

[2] Availability may vary depending on model and the paired smartphone.