Many Australians are craving a good night’s sleep, with 53% willing to part with between $50 and $100 a night in exchange for some peaceful slumber.

The findings are part of a Complete Sleep Advanced survey* and uncover the extent of Australia’s sleep problems. The survey found a staggering 76% of Australians report trouble sleeping, with 40% getting less than 6 hours sleep a night – driving the nation’s willingness to spend for sleep.

Ironically, while Australians may be prepared to pay for good sleep, money worries are actually keeping them awake at night, with 32% reporting financial stress as the reason for sleeplessness. Work stress (28%) and thinking about all that needs to be done the next day (42%) were also commonly reported reasons for not getting enough shut eye. The findings have been released to encourage Australians to take part in a new national Sleep Debt Check at www.completesleeplab.com.au to help calculate the sleep debt of the nation.

The National Sleep Debt Check – developed in conjunction with sleep expert Associate Professor Gerard Kennedy – is a series of nine simple questions that indicates the level of sleep debt. With 37% of Australians falling asleep in front of the TV, a quarter on public transport or during a work meeting (25%) and 60% reporting they struggle to focus after a bad night’s sleep, there may be a big debt out there.

“Sleep is obviously a big issue for Australians yet many under estimate the impact it is having on their day to day life,” Associate Professor Kennedy said .

“We need sleep to help us function properly, both mentally and physically, so it’s vital that Australians get enough good quality sleep. The Sleep Debt Check is a good starting point to understand your level of sleep debt and develop strategies to improve your sleep,” he added.

The Complete Sleep Advanced survey found:

• When given the option of what they would like to wake up to the next day, 24% chose waking up refreshed and not tired, ahead of a clean house (8%), a new car (5%) or a new job (8%).
• 31% of men report trying sex to help them get to sleep compared to 19% of women, with 26% of women opting for a chamomile tea.
• Women are more likely to turn to social media when they can’t sleep with 23% updating their social media status during the night compared to 16% of men.
• Despite this apparent craving for sleep, only 14% have tried a herbal sleeping tablet to get to sleep.
• Being unable to sleep through the night (29%), waking feeling tired (28%) and trouble getting to sleep (19%) were the main sleep issues reported in the survey.

“There are simple measures that people can put in place to help them sleep better including strategies for dealing with stress, practising good sleep habits and if these do not work, potentially considering a natural sleep therapy as an additional option,” Associate Professor Kennedy said. “Establishing good sleep habits and understanding the level of sleeplessness is the first step toward getting better sleep,” he added.

Australians keen to get involved can take the National Sleep Debt Check at www.completesleeplab.com.au and learn about ways to help improve their sleep.

* Online market research conducted by Pure Profile on behalf of Sanofi Consumer Healthcare among n= 1007. The survey was conducted among a nationally representative population sample.