A recent study comparing scores on the 2016 Healthy Living Index showed that Filipinos scored extremely low, and much lower than previous years, and a lot of people were very alarmed and wanted to know why.

According to Philam Life, 80% of adults in the Philippines say their health is not as good as five years ago.  When further research was done, a huge factor that contributed to the failing health was lack of sleep among Filipino adults.

Sleep is so important and critical for everyone, regardless of what race, creed, religion, or color.  The Sleep Advisor has put together a chart of the recommended sleep times based on age, and it’s so important that everyone follow the National Sleep Foundation recommendations, because a lack of sleep can certainly negatively impact every single other aspect of your life.

But why were the Filipino adults’ numbers so low?  What is different about Filipinos that is causing so much sleep deprivation?   Looking into the numbers further shows that over 1/2 of the population (approximately 50 million people) sleep less than 6 hours a night.  For half of the population to be sleep-deprived, there has to be a good reason, right?  Here’s what I found and the X reasons why people in the Philippines get less sleep than everyone else:


2. They have a very high work-ethic and a lot of uncomfortable changes in outsourcing and technology

The Philippines produces some of the most technological savvy people in the world, but technological innovations as well as outsourcing are making people who used to work eight hours a day work fifteen, just to try to keep up.

3. The tropical climate makes people sticky and sweaty at night

The warm climate can make sleep uncomfortable, because the ideal temperature for sleep is between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit, according to sleep.org.  If you’re in a place that doesn’t have central air conditioning or space air conditioners or fans, you may have to rely on some other creative ways of getting your body down to the ideal core temperature for rest.

4. They are incredibly family oriented, with lots of children

Filipinos often have large families, so if you have a lot of children, you may have difficulty getting to bed at night because of everything you have to do for your kids, not to mention that they probably want to sleep in your bed with you!

If you’re in this number of sleep-deprived Filipinos and are not getting enough sleep each night, please consider doing the following:

•  Eat right throughout the day and limit your excessive meals so that you’ll be able to sleep without heartburn, indigestion, or stomach issues at night.
•  Invest in noise-canceling headphones, sleep masks, or nose plugs, to be able to sleep in a comfortable environment.
•  Decorate your room as luxurious and relaxing as possible so that you’ll drift off in no time as soon as you hit the bed.
• Keep your bedroom for sleep only, and try to limit the amount of work or other activities that you do in there.  Try also to limit your exposure to electronics before bed, because the glare can keep you awake.
•  Try aromatherapy and get some essential oils and a diffuser, particularly peppermint, for cooling you at night, or lavender, for making you feel soothed and relaxed.
•  Try putting your sheets in the freezer before bed so that you have a nice cool bed.  You can also check out some cooling mattress pads.
• Try drinking a glass of warm milk or some sleepy time tea before bed.
• You can also follow these tips if you sleep during the day and work at night, on this post.