One in three young adults not getting enough sleep

Nearly one-third of Australian adults are getting less than the recommended seven hours of sleep, with young adults (ages 18–34) emerging as the most sleep deprived and most affected by the consequences of poor sleep, reveals a new study by Flinders University and the Sleep Health Foundation.

Associate Professor Nicole Lovato, lead author of the “Aussie Sleep Snapshot” published in Australian Psychologist, says the findings confirm a growing sleep health crisis. “We found that more than half of young and middle-aged adults report several nights of inadequate sleep each week, and more than a third of young adults say poor sleep is negatively impacting their productivity.”

“This makes them the demographic most affected by their sleep while working or studying,” says Associate Professor Lovato, who is from the Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute (FHMRI) Sleep Health.

The study also uncovers the biggest sleep disruptors for young adults, including late-night technology use, worry, stress and a busy mind, all factors that can keep people awake but often go unrecognized as treatable issues.

“Our findings show that targeted, evidence-based interventions focusing on technology use, cognitive factors such as worry and anxiety, and the interaction between these issues must be a priority,” says Associate Professor Lovato.

A second Flinders study published last August in Australian Psychologist found that less than 1% of adults with clinical insomnia symptoms had received the recommended first-line treatment, which is cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTi). Many study participants were simply unaware that effective, non-medication treatment options exist.

To help bridge this gap, Flinders University sleep experts, in partnership with the Sleep Health Foundation, are inviting Australians to help trial Sleep Spotlight, a new online tool designed to help people better understand their sleep and identify when they may need support.

Project lead Dr. Jenny Haycock, from FHMRI Sleep Health, says the studies highlight an urgent need for accessible and reliable sleep-health tools. “There is a real need for tools that help people find information about sleep disorders.”

Sleep Spotlight screens for common sleep disorders—including insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, circadian rhythm problems, shift-work disorder and chronic insufficient sleep—and provides recommendations based on each person’s responses.

In testing across Australia and the United States, the tool matched sleep specialists’ diagnoses with strong accuracy, correctly identifying sleep issues about 75% of the time. For the two most common disorders, insomnia and sleep apnea, accuracy rose to around 85%.

“The Sleep Spotlight tool checks for common sleep disorders and provides a personalized report with recommendations regarding your sleep health,” says Dr. Haycock. “This is about giving people the right tools to reclaim their sleep and improve their quality of life.”

Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor Moira Junge, CEO of the Sleep Health Foundation, says the trial is a step towards providing the community with access to evidence-based solutions for sleeping difficulties, and about translating research into practical applications in the community.

“Having a trusted, validated self-screening tool will help people start conversations with their GP and seek the right care sooner. The tool will also help people find evidence-based information on the Sleep Health Foundation website by providing improved signposting to the right information,” says Associate Professor Junge.

“By taking part, volunteers will not only gain insights into their own sleep health but also help researchers improve pathways to treatment and provide better support for people with sleep disorders,” she says.

Helen, 66 years old, a consumer advisor to the Sleep Spotlight research project, trialed the digital tool designed to help people understand and articulate sleep problems. “It made me think about some aspects of how I go to sleep that I hadn’t considered. It summarized my sleep concerns in a comprehensive manner that I can use with my GP. The links to the sleep website are also really helpful.”

Australians aged 18 and over are invited to take part in the trial. To learn more, or to register, visit https://redcap.link/SleepSpotlight or email sleepspotlight@flinders.edu.au.