Sleep Technology Use and Beliefs in the United States and South Korea

Oct 20, 2023
World Sleep 2023

Abstract

Introduction:
Sleep is critical to all aspects of daily life. Unfortunately, numerous factors can disrupt sleep, resulting in large segments of the adult population experiencing poor sleep health. Recent estimates suggest that between 40-50% of adults in the US and over 60% of adults in South Korea are not sleeping the recommended 7-9 hours per night. When faced with inadequate sleep, people increasingly search for available solutions, and recent years have seen a proliferation of sleep-related technologies. This study sought to provide current, population-level estimates of sleep technology use and beliefs in both the United States and South Korea.

Methods:
We conducted two nationally-representative, probability-based surveys, one in the United States and one in South Korea, to assess current sleep technology use and beliefs. The surveys were fielded January and February 2023, respectively, for the US and South Korea. Final sample sizes were 1009 (US) and 1000 (South Korea), both with an estimated margin of error of ~3%. RIM weights were applied to both datasets to ensure accurate representation of national demographics. Survey respondents reported habitual sleep duration and general sleep quality ratings, current sleep technology use, and beliefs and concerns about sleep technology. Measures of central tendency and dispersion were used to characterize responses.

Results:
American adults averaged 6 hours and 56 minutes of sleep on weekdays and 7 hours and 25 minutes on weekends. In comparison, Korean adults slept for an average of 6 hours and 13 minutes on weekdays and 7 hours and 11 minutes on weekends. Only 6% of Americans reported their sleep as ‘poor;’ however, in South Korea 1 in 4 adults (25%) reported their sleep as ‘poor.’ Conversely, 26% of Americans reported their sleep as ‘very good’ compared to only 10% of Koreans. Approximately 14% of US adults and 8% of Korean adults use an electronic device or app to track their sleep. Device/app use was not significantly associated with sleep duration, quality, or deficits in either the US or Korea (all p’s > .05). Despite rates of use, 35% of US adults and 39% of Korean adults express confidence in technology and apps to help people achieve better sleep. However, the majority of adults, 61% in the US and 57% in Korean, are concerned that the data generated by electronic-sleep tracking devices could be used in a way that intrudes on their personal privacy.

Conclusion:
Sleep-related technology holds promise to promote sleep health; however, current estimates suggest only a small portion of the population are current users. Despite differences in sleep duration and quality, adults in the United States and South Korea share similar levels of confidence in technology and apps to improve sleep while also sharing similar levels of privacy-related concerns. More work is needed to fully unlock the sleep-promoting potential of technology and apps, including efforts to address consumer trust and ensure equitable access to technological advances.

Authors

J.M Dzierzewski
D. Jung
D. Lee
S. Jeon
J. Hong
S. Lee
H. Yang
J. Lopos


Acknowledgments

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