South Africans Are Sleeping Enough – So Why Are We Still Tired?
Quality over quantity this World Sleep Day
It turns out the problem might not be how long we sleep, but how well we sleep.
New research released for World Sleep Day suggests that while many South Africans are clocking the recommended hours in bed, very few are waking up feeling truly restored. The result? A national sleep paradox: the hours are there, but the recovery simply isn’t.
Data from the Sloom National Sleep Census 2025 reveals that 57.6% of South Africans report getting the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep each night. Yet only 15.1% say they wake up feeling genuinely rested. In fact, around one in six people start their day already exhausted.
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The real issue: sleep quality
To understand what’s going wrong, Sloom introduced the country’s first South Africa Sleep Quality Score (SSQS) – a national benchmark designed to measure how restorative our sleep actually is.
The results showed that South Africa scored just 54 out of 100.
The study surveyed 5,602 people across all nine provinces, and the findings paint a clear picture: sleep quantity is definitely not the same as sleep quality.
If you regularly wake up groggy, stiff or mentally foggy, you’re not alone. According to the census, the biggest disruptor of sleep isn’t technology or noise – it’s physical discomfort.
More than 55.8% of respondents say discomfort is their biggest sleep disruptor, while an overwhelming 84.6% report that pain affects their sleep either occasionally or frequently.
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Your mattress might be the culprit
One of the most revealing insights from the census is just how much your mattress could influence your rest.
Researchers found that people sleeping on newer mattresses scored significantly higher on the sleep quality index. Those using mattresses less than a year old averaged 60.5 out of 100, while those sleeping on mattresses 20 years or older scored just 48.1.
That 12-point drop highlights what researchers call the “mattress age penalty” — the longer you keep a worn-out mattress, the more it may be undermining your recovery.
When it comes to buying a mattress, comfort dominates decision-making. Nearly 87% of respondents said comfort is the top priority, followed by price and warranty or trial periods.
Stress is keeping South Africans awake
Physical discomfort isn’t the only problem. Stress also plays a major role in disrupted sleep.
Almost half of South Africans (49.8%) say stress keeps them awake at night. Interestingly, the worst sleep scores didn’t belong to young adults, but to people aged 46 to 55, who averaged just 52.4 on the sleep score. Researchers suggest career pressures, financial responsibilities and lifestyle demands could be contributing to poor rest during these years.
Financial strain also appears to affect sleep health. Unemployed respondents recorded the lowest overall sleep score at 49.6, reinforcing the link between economic stress and disrupted sleep.
Small habits can make a big difference
Despite the concerning findings, the census also revealed something encouraging: sleep quality responds strongly to lifestyle changes.
People who actively prioritise sleep scored an average of 15.7 points higher than those who don’t. Regular exercise also proved to be one of the strongest predictors of better rest, improving sleep scores by 8.5 points on average.
In other words, improving your sleep might not require more hours in bed – but better conditions for recovery.
A new way to measure sleep health
To capture a fuller picture of sleep health, Sloom developed its Sleep Score Index using five key pillars:
Together, these factors determine how restorative your sleep truly is.
With South Africa’s national score sitting at 54 out of 100, the research suggests the country may need to rethink how it approaches rest.
As awareness grows around sleep health – especially during World Sleep Day this 13 March – the conversation is shifting from simply “getting enough sleep” to making sure that sleep truly restores you.
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