Sleep recommendations should be based on countries' norms

The amount of sleep should be determined by countries' norms.
Researches from the University of Victoria and the University of British Columbia, in Canada, say poeple should sleep the recommended amount of hours that has been recommended in their country.
The team's study - which involved 5,000 people, who completed an online questionnaire in 20 different countries acorss North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Africa - saw them analyse if life expectancy, rates of heart disease, obesity and diabetes were linked to how much sleep someone gets.
The experts' results showed there was a variation in how many hours of sleep the volunteers get across the 20 countries - with the French getting the longest amount of sleep (seven hours and 52 minutes), and the Japanese getting the shortest amount of kip (six hours and 18 minutes).
As a result, the psychologists found no evidence that people in countries who sleep less compared to those in other places where people sleep more had worse health.
Doctor Christine Ou, lead author and an assistant professor at Victoria's School of Nursing, told BBC Science Focus: "Sleep is shaped by more than just biology – it's influenced by culture, work schedules, climate, light exposure, social norms and other factors.
'What's considered 'enough' sleep in one country might feel too much or not enough in another.'
Keele University sleep psychologist Doctor Daljinder Chalmers - who was not involved in the study - said there is "no evidence" to back the claim that people should sleep for eight or more hours.
She told BBC Science Focus: "Sleep is really complex, and there's no evidence to support the idea that we should all sleep for eight hours per day.
'Our study found that people tend to be healthier when their sleep aligns with what's typical in their culture.
'Recognising cultural context can help people focus on what actually supports their health, rather than chasing a fixed number.
'When you're looking at sleep and health, you need to consider culture.'

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