A Good Night’s Sleep

Originally formed on a whim， Peking University’s Up Association—though the literal translation of the name would be The “Get Out Of Bed” Association—has been experiencing a sudden expansion in its membership and public profile.

“We’ve been fighting to get up early for seven months，” said Hu Xiaonan， founder of the association， which aims to help college students drag themselves out of bed in the morning.

On March 25， Hu got up at 11 a.m. like normal， but felt a pang of guilt when she realized how little she achieved by doing so. “I made up my mind to do something，” said Hu， who then went online to suggest the idea of forming an organization to raise awareness of the virtues of waking up early.

The idea quickly gained support from more than 1，000 students at Peking University， even though only 20 of them showed up at the association’s first group breakfast at 7：15 a.m. the next morning.

“Many college students sleep in very late and get up around lunch time， “ Hu said. “This is partially because the schedule at college is far less intense than it was in high school.”

Hu also blames addiction to computer games， smartphones and tablets for the bad sleep habits of young people.

“I hear friends complaining about not being able to get up earlier and swearing that they will sleep earlier tonight and wake up earlier tomorrow， but it is really hard to overcome such a routine when you are stuck in it，” Hu said. “Even for the members of the Up Association， it is rare that one of us sticks to a new routine for a long time. We see people come and go. Fewer than 10 make it every morning.”

Difficulty drifting off

For college students， keeping up a healthy sleeping routine takes a bit of self-discipline， but for others， the difficulties are somewhat more complex.

On November 8， the Chinese Medical Doctor Association （CMDA） revealed the “sleep index” of the Chinese populace， 64.3， which is just above the passing mark of 60. This shows that more than 90 percent of the population aren’t getting high-quality sleep， even though the hours they spend sleeping may be enough. On average， Chinese people sleep for eight hours and 50 minutes every day， much more than the seven to eight hours’ sleep recommended by medical experts.

In March， the CMDA launched a survey on the sleep quality of residents in 20 cities， 20 counties and 20 rural areas across China， polling a total of around 107，000 people in two months.

The results showed that 14 percent of the respondents stayed up after midnight， 15 percent found it hard to get to sleep， and more than 55 percent reported that they have to resort to additional measures to help them fall asleep—such as listening to soft music or reading. Bad moods， physical ailments and stress have the strongest effect on sleep quality.

Generally， more than 70 percent of people have problems getting decent sleep， due to insomnia， sleep apnea （irregular or interrupted breathing during sleep）， or physical discomfort， among other issues.

Young adults are more likely to have sleep problems， with about 62 percent of young adults stating that pressure at work is the main reason behind poor sleep， with the use of technology for entertainment being another major factor.

Nearly 70 percent of residents surveyed in the 20 Chinese cities said that they used mobile phones， tablets or computers before going to sleep， and among those who kept late hours， nearly half said that they were chatting online or playing games during the time immediately before sleep.

“I feel very tired when I leave the office every evening and always tell myself that I need to go to bed early，” said Liu Yuxiao， a 25-year-old bank clerk working in Beijing. “But the moment I lie down in bed， I pick up my cellphone.”

Technological aids

Considering that addiction to digp9eG0AucxUY3RZ97AivNo7HbWweq80L00KC8dQ1ARgI=ital devices such as smartphones are hindering peoples’sleep， some phone applications have been developed to forcibly drag people away from them， among which the “Early to Bed” app is one of the most popular.

With Early to Bed， users begin by setting a designated time to put their phone into“sleep mode，” at which point the phone is locked for two hours. An alarm also rings at the time the user has set. Clicking “sleep”when the alarm goes off locks the owner out of their own phone for two hours， although users can choose to delay the alarm. However， this results in the app letting all your friends know that you did as a punishment.

“The intention of the application is to encourage young workers and students to stick to healthy habits and go to bed early，”said Yang Yuan， the 23-year old developer of the application.

Yang admits that he goes to bed late every night. “My brain is more active late at night and many of my friends are reluctant to go to bed in the evening，” he said. “The application only gives you a reminder. Such tools are simply a new attempt to help people give up their bad habits through relying on their self-awareness. Even if the mobile phone is locked， people can switch to their iPad if they still want to chat online or play games.”

“People know sleep is important， but they may not be aware that they are suffering from bad sleep，” said Ye Jingying， a sleep specialist at the Beijing Tongren Hospital.

“If one wakes up frequently during the night， or always feels groggy during the day， then they should pay attention to their sleep patterns.”

According to Ye， people need to keep away from digital devices for at least an hour before sleep as the light keeps their brains stimulated for a long while. Other suggestions include： try to go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day， even on weekends and during holidays， and to do the same thing every night to help wind down and relax before bed.