Still feeling tired after you slept? You are not alone

2026-03-03 - 12:43

Did you know that more than 85% of South Africans wake up feeling exhausted? After conducting a national sleep census to observe the sleeping patterns and overall sleep quality score of South Africans (SSQS), sleep solutions company Sloom found a “sleep paradox” among citizens. Most South Africans may be sleeping enough, but they are not properly recovering from the day. Sleeping with no recovery Findings from the report show a disconnect between sleep duration and quality among individuals. The survey of 5 602 South Africans, across nine provinces, between the ages of 18 and 65 and upwards, revealed that around 57.6% South Africans sleep between seven and nine hours, while only 15.1% wake truly rested. Gauteng’s overall sleep score is 54.7%, in KwaZulu-Natal, the sleep score is 53.4% and in the Western Cape, the average is 53.1%. ALSO READ: Wits professor investigated for comments about South Africans’ ‘poor work ethic’ Why don’t you feel rested? Some 55.8% of respondents reported that discomfort was the biggest sleep disruptor, while 84.6% said pain affects their sleep patterns. The report shows that 49.8% of people are unable to sleep because stress keeps them awake at night. The age of one’s mattress also affects how one sleeps, as the SSQS was 12.4 points lower for mattresses older than 20 years, averaging on 48.1% in sleeping scores. Those with newer mattresses, bought within the last year, reported a sleep score of 60.5%. The sleep problem persists mainly among South African’s aged between 46 and 55, who scored the lowest, averaging 52.4 out of 100. This reflects the impact of stress and career demands during these years. Unemployed respondents also scored the lowest, with an average of 49.6%, reinforcing the belief that stress and financial insecurity can keep you tossing and turning at night. The data show that those who prioritise sleep and make healthier lifestyle choices get better-quality sleep. Those who exercise regularly score 8.5 points higher, and those who prioritise sleep score 15.7% more. According to Rudo Kemp, the CEO of Sloom, “this data shows that the issue isn’t just sleep duration, it’s discomfort, disruption and a lack of true restoration”. “If we can improve even one of those areas, we can begin to shift sleep from something we simply get through, to something that genuinely restores us.” READ MORE: When motherhood rewrites the script at work