It might be best known for its stunning Lapland and northern lights.

But Finland can also claim another accolade — being home to the biggest fans of a weekend lie.

People who live in the European country sleep an extra 26.5 minutes on the weekend, compared to their regular workday, researchers have found.

They sleep, on average, about seven and a half hours on the weekend compared to roughly seven during the week.

Brits, for comparison, roughly get 15.9 minutes more sleep on the weekend. This puts the UK 24th in the international league table.

Brits roughly get 15.9 minutes more sleep on the weekend. This puts Britain 24th in the international league table. The US ranks 19th, with Americans sleeping an extra 17.4 minutes, on average

Rounding off the top five is Switzerland (26.1 minutes), Norway (25.8 minutes), the Czech Republic (25 minutes) and Estonia (24.8 minutes)

Rounding off the top five is Switzerland (26.1 minutes), Norway (25.8 minutes), the Czech Republic (25 minutes) and Estonia (24.8 minutes)

Rounding off the top five is Switzerland (26.1 minutes), Norway (25.8 minutes), the Czech Republic (25 minutes) and Estonia (24.8 minutes)

The US ranks 19th, with Americans sleeping an extra 17.4 minutes on Saturday and Sunday, on average.

The findings come from a team at the National University of Singapore, where researchers collected data from 220,000 people across 35 countries who wore sleep trackers between January 2021 and January 2022.

Their sleeping habits were calculated from 50million sleep sessions using an Oura Ring device.

The device is a smart ring that uses sensors to track sleeping times to provide a daily score based on the quality of rest.

It monitors body temperature, blood oxygen levels, heart rate, heart rate variability and breathing rate to tell if someone is awake or sleeping.

Each person, on average, was monitored for 242 nights and the results were split between weekday and weekend sleep.

Sharing the results, Dr Adrian Willoughby, a senior lecturer in psychology at the university, wrote: ‘Weekend sleep extension was longer in Europe and the USA than in Asia, and was only partially related to weekday sleep duration.’

The findings, published in the scientific journal Sleep Medicine, show that people in Switzerland are among those most prone for a weekend lie in (26.1 minutes), followed by Norway (25.8 minutes), the Czech Republic (25 minutes) and Estonia (24.8 minutes).

As for the other end of the scale, countries in Asia get the least amount of extra sleep on the weekend, as people in India only managed to get an additional 3.4 minutes, on average.

HOW MUCH SLEEP SHOULD YOU GET? AND WHAT TO DO IF YOU STRUGGLE TO GET ENOUGH

Preschool (3-5 years): 10-13 hours

School-age (6-13 years): 9-11 hours

Teen (14-17 years): 8-10 hours

Young adult (18-25) 7-9 hours

Adult (26-64): 7-9 hours

Older adult (65 or more) 7-8 hours

Source: Sleep Foundation 

WHAT CAN I DO TO IMPROVE MY SLEEP? 

1) Limit screen time an hour before bed

Our bodies have an internal ‘clock’ in the brain, which regulates our circadian rhythm. 

Mobiles, laptops and TVs emit blue light, which sends signals to our brain to keep us awake.

2) Address your ‘racing mind’

Take 5-10 minutes before you go to sleep to sit with a notebook and write down a list of anything that you need to do the following day.

3) Avoid caffeine after 12pm

If you want a hot drink in the afternoon or evening, go for a decaffeinated tea or coffee.

4) Keep a cool bedroom temperature

Keep bedroom thermostats to around 18°C. During spring/summer try sleeping with your bedroom window open to reduce the temperature and increase ventilation.

5) Limit alcohol in the evenings

While you might initially fall into deep sleep more easily, you then wake up frequently during the night and have poorer deep sleep overall.

6) Supplement vitamin D

Vitamin D plays a role in sleep. Vitamin D is widely available online and from most pharmacies.

If you are unsure if this is appropriate or how much you need, seek advice from your GP.

7) Ensure sufficient intake of magnesium and zinc

Foods high in magnesium include spinach, kale, avocado, bananas, cashews, and seeds. 

Foods high in zinc include meat, oysters, crab, cheese, cooked lentils, and dark chocolate (70%+).

 

Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk

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