Two months ago, we reported that over 10 percent of Shanghai students suffer from a school phobia that has them hesitant to attend school due to considerable pressure. However, it turns out the circumstances may be worse than what we expected, as 70.5 percent of youth admit they have insomnia on some level, according to a recent survey conducted by China Youth.
In total, 1,972 youth aged 18-35 participated in the survey. The results show that 70.5 percent of respondents occasionally experience insomnia and 22 percent admit they have come across the problem before. Only 7.5 percent of the participants declare that they have never encountered sleeplessness.
Image via Sohu
Low sleep equality, short sleep duration and difficulties in falling asleep are ranked as the top three problems associated with insomnia. “The rise in insomnia mainly comes from the stress,” says Gao Xuemei, vice president of Chinese Sleep Research Society. “When people hit certain ages, they struggle to obtain more achievement in their careers.”
The advancement of technology doesn’t help much, either. “Lots of young people are tempted to use their cell phones before sleep, which inevitably postpones their time to sleep. The irony in this is they turn to certain products and medicines for help, while they still cling to smart phones late at night.” explains Gao.
Image via People.cn
Excitement and anxiety are voted as the biggest reason for insomnia. Other reasons include an irregular schedule and too much coffee or tea during the day.
Despite the high rate of insomnia, more than half of the respondents seem to lack effective methods to deal with the problem. “They can start from giving themselves positive self-suggestions,” advises Gao. “Besides that, they can alter the environment where they rest. Temperature, humidity and tone of the room should be taken into consideration. Both stimulating physical and mental activities ought to be avoided before sleep.”
So, it seems that high pressure is universal to both children and adults. While providing comfort and guidance to help our little ones through the school phobia, we’d better not forget to pay attention to our own mental health as well.
[Title Image via Daily Mail]
