Sleep Patterns Vary by Week, Season, and Geography

Sleep patterns vary due to a range of factors, including work commitments, family responsibilities, and environmental influences. In a large global sample, sleep researchers recently found large weekday and seasonal variations in sleep. People on average spent 20–35 minutes longer sleeping in on weekends compared to days during the week, and 15–20 minutes longer sleeping during winter compared to summer. Geographic location influenced this seasonal trend, whereby the season was more impactful on sleep for people further away from the equator. These novel findings highlight the natural variations in human sleep by week, season, and geography.