That\u2019s the punchline from Resmed\u2019s 2026 Global Sleep Survey, the medical device firm\u2019s sixth annual look at how the world sleeps, with 1,000 of the 30,000 respondents drawn from Singapore. 51% rank sleep<\/b> above a balanced diet (48%) and physical activity (42%) as the top behaviour for a long, healthy life. 86% understand that consistent, quality sleep can help extend a healthy lifespan.<\/p>\n
And then 57% report getting a good night\u2019s sleep on only four nights a week or fewer.<\/p>\n
If that sounds familiar, it should. Last year\u2019s HardwareZone reporting told a similar story<\/u><\/a>, with one in three Singaporeans (33%) knowingly living with poor sleep, the highest rate of passive acceptance among all the markets surveyed. A year on, Singapore still tops the chart on normalising poor sleep at 21%, ahead of China (16%), the US (15%), and the UK (13%).<\/p>\n Dr. Carlos Nunez, Resmed\u2019s Chief Medical Officer, has a theory. \u201cThis trend could be a reflection of Singapore\u2019s well-known hustle culture, where long work hours and high productivity expectations contribute to a mindset that tolerates sub-optimal sleep,\u201d he says. The numbers back him up. 53% of Singapore respondents agree that heavy workloads negatively affect their sleep. About 72% report taking a \u201csnooze day\u201d, calling in sick after a poor night\u2019s sleep, at least once a year.<\/p>\n Dr. Carlos Nunez, Chief Medical Officer at Resmed<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n While 60% of Singapore respondents say they\u2019d consult a healthcare provider for persistent sleep issues, just 16% have actually done so. Less than a third (32%) say a provider has even asked about sleep during a routine doctor\u2019s visit.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, that\u2019s not all:<\/p>\n Some Singaporeans are turning to alcohol to sleep<\/p>\n Photo: Pexels<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n \u201cThere could be several reasons for the gap,\u201d Nunez says. \u201cA potential stigma that still exists among people who have a sleep disorder, not knowing where to go or how to get help, or just brushing it off as something that they can just live with.\u201d He\u2019s adamant the problem isn\u2019t only with the individual. \u201cHealthcare providers can also help by making sleep health part of regular conversations.\u201d<\/p>\n Our reporting on the 2025 survey<\/u><\/a> noted that Singaporean women suffered worse sleep than men, averaging 3.83 quality nights a week versus men\u2019s 4.13, with 38% struggling to fall asleep compared with 29% of men.\u00a0<\/p>\n The 2026 survey shows no significant gender difference within Singapore itself, but the gap remains visible across the wider APAC region. 46% of women<\/b> in the six APAC markets surveyed struggle to fall asleep, compared with 40% of men<\/b>. Stress and anxiety are the key barriers for 42% of women<\/b> versus 36% of men, and family responsibilities affect 37% of women\u2019s sleep<\/b> versus 32% of men\u2019s.<\/p>\n According to Nunez:<\/p>\n \u201cChronic poor sleep in women can also signal underlying medical conditions, such as obstructive sleep apnea<\/b> (OSA), which is frequently underdiagnosed in women and associated with serious long-term health risks like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and depression.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n OSA, he points out, doesn\u2019t only affect overweight men, the demographic that gets all the screen time. \u201cIt can occur in individuals of any body type.\u201d<\/p>\n Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with serious long-term health risks\u00a0<\/p>\n Photo: Pexels<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Sleep loss isn\u2019t only a personal issue. Singapore professionals with a sleep disorder lose an average of 67 workdays annually<\/u><\/a>, and regional research suggests insufficient sleep can shave up to 2% off annual GDP<\/u><\/a> across Southeast Asian economies.<\/p>\n The findings show that poor sleep is spilling into the workplace, affecting focus, mood, stress levels, and how employees manage their day:<\/p>\n 32% of Singaporeans say that their stress levels increase when they sleep less<\/p>\n Photo: Pexels<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Flexible work appears to help, with 58% of respondents saying it allows them to manage their sleep better, with Nunez describing flexible work as a \u201chelpful enabler\u201d. However, he cautions that hybrid work is not a cure for medical conditions such as obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA. As he puts it, \u201cFlexibility alone doesn\u2019t address the root causes of poor sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n There are also issues raised at home, as it\u2019s mostly recognised that sleeping together is good for the relationship. 45% of Singapore respondents say sharing a bed has a positive impact on their sex life, compared with 13% of those who sleep apart.\u00a0<\/p>\n The flip side is the disruption. 80% experience some level of partner-related sleep disruption, and 27% get woken up at least weekly. The concept of a \u201csleep divorce\u201d, where couples sleep in separate rooms to protect their rest, has gone from edgy to ordinary.<\/p>\n And in the survey\u2019s most generously interpreted finding, 82% of Singapore respondents also reckon getting enough sleep is the best-kept secret to looking beautiful. As Resmed notes, this isn\u2019t only wishful thinking. Deep sleep triggers the release of growth hormones that stimulate the synthesis of collagen and elastin, which keep skin firm, plump, and elastic. So there is, technically, a medical case for the beauty sleep.<\/p>\n The data from wearables backs up the Resmed results<\/p>\n Photo: Pexels<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The 2025-to-2026 jump is hard to argue with. Wearable use for sleep tracking surged from 21% in 2025 to 65% in 2026<\/b>, with smartwatches leading the way at 59% of Singapore respondents. Among wearable users, 54% say they would seek medical advice if their device flagged a potential risk.<\/p>\n The catch, again, is the follow-through. Only 17% of respondents who actually receive red-flag alerts go on to consult a healthcare provider. The watch sees what the watch sees.\u00a0<\/p>\n Whether the wearer acts on it is another matter.<\/p>\n Resmed is exploring collaborations to close that loop. Nunez mentions working with technology and retail partners, including Rack85 in Singapore<\/u><\/a>, to help consumers connect what their wearable is telling them with what their doctor could do about it.<\/p>\n He believes AI-powered monitoring could help close that gap. As he puts it, these tools can track sleep continuously at home, picking up patterns over time rather than relying on a one-night sleep study. The point is not that AI replaces a clinical diagnosis. Rather, months of nightly sleep data can give doctors a clearer picture than a patient\u2019s half-remembered recollection of how well they slept the week before.<\/p>\n Sleep is never overrated<\/p>\n Photo: Pexels<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n \u201cPeople are increasingly recognising sleep as a cornerstone to long-term health, which is encouraging,\u201d Nunez says. \u201cBut recognition alone is not enough. We need to help people move from awareness to action by addressing everyday barriers and improving access to screening, support and care.\u201d<\/p>\n For Singaporeans who want to figure out where they stand, Resmed has an online sleep assessment<\/u><\/a>. The rest of us can start with the easy bit. Put the phone down and skip the nightcap.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n That\u2019s the punchline from Resmed\u2019s 2026 Global Sleep Survey, the medical device firm\u2019s sixth annual look at how the world sleeps, with 1,000 of the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":64667,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2611],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-64666","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buzz-headlines","wpcat-2611-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64666","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=64666"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64666\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/64667"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=64666"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=64666"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=64666"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}The awareness-action gap<\/h2>\n
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What the numbers reveal about Singapore\u2019s widespread poor sleep health<\/h2>\n
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Wearables only back up the numbers<\/h2>\n
The action gap, one more time<\/h2>\n
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