Have you ever felt sleep-deprived as soon as you wake up? Be it five hours of sleep or eight, you wake up and feel like going back to sleep again. Well, that's fatigue and we are certain that you've felt it.
In fact, you've been feeling it more regularly during the pandemic.
But that's not us saying, it's a new report that proves the same. A recent study by UK bedding manufacturer Sleepseeker suggests that Singapore is the most fatigued country in the world.
The new report suggests that the bustling and tech-driven lives on the island have been causing the power shortage in our bodies.
The amount of time we spend at work and on the Internet is generously contributing towards adding fatigue we are experiencing, adds the report.
World's 15 Most Fatigued Countries: Singapore Ranks On Top
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, pandemic fatigue is real and it has put us on the top of the world's 15 most fatigued countries.
Singapore topped the list with a score of 7.20, ahead of Mexico that scored 7.01. Brazil followed next with a score of 6.28, ahead of the US that scored 5.57. The country also managed to outscore the other two Asian countries on the list with Japan placed fifth with a score of 5.32, while China was a distant ninth in the order with a score of 4.59.
So how exactly did Sleepseeker achieve this conclusion?
The manufacturer determined the fatigue score based on the data takes from sources such as Statista. This included the average hours and minutes that the citizens slept when compared to the recommended eight of sleep in every country.
Researchers also collected data from Wikipedia for the average number of hours worked in each country per year. Furthermore, the data from BusinessFibre.co.uk revealed the daily amount of screen time that people in different countries recorded.
Lastly, the fourth data source was Google Keyword Planner, which tracked the number of sleep-related search terms in each country.
For countries like China where the number of Google users are very low compared to the population, researchers used the search rate per 100,000 instead of the country's population.
Why Are Singaporeans Fatigued?
Interestingly, the data shared in the report hardly comes as a surprise to researchers. On average, Singaporeans clock about 2,238 hours each year for work.
That's longer than China's average of 2,174 hours, and even surpasses Japan's 1,723 hours. Mind you, Japan has been under the global scanner for its workaholic nature and the "sleeping on the desk" culture that's considered a virtue in the country.
However, researchers found Mexico's statistics as most surprising. The country clocked 2,255 work hours annually, which is only second to Singapore.
This indicates the country's "growing economy and its impact on the work-life balance of the population," the report said.
Singaporeans Spend More Time Online Than To Recuperate
The study further concludes that Singaporeans are spending more time online instead of resting and recuperating. Just how much? Turns out we spend about 7 hours and 2 minutes on average online every day, which makes us the third highest country in the world to spend time on the Internet daily.
Leading the chart here is Brazil with its citizens spending 9 hours and 29 minutes online every day, while Mexicans spend 8 hours and 1 minute online every day on average.
The study does not explicitly state if the online time includes just work or leisure as well.
7 Ways To Combat Fatigue
As much we understand pandemic fatigue is real and there's little to do to change that, you can take a few and decisive steps to combat the same. Here are seven ways to overcome fatigue:
- Eat a balanced diet
- Get regular exercise
- Cut down on caffeine
- Relax before going to bed, cut down on electronic devices
- Do a mental health check
- Add more iron to your diet
- Learn to relax
Now that you know this, how about catching up on that lost sleep?
News Source: CNA
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