🎣 The Hook
Hi! How was your sleep last night?
Was it enough? Or are you already craving more?
Some people see sleep as just another routine.
Others treat it as something enjoyable.
And if you’re coming from Southeast Asia, I get you.
Because people here don’t just sleep. They love sleep.
How do I know that? Let me tell you.
Hello, and welcome to The Southeast Asia Desk Weekly Dispatch Podcast.
I’m Akasha Viandri.
This is where we slow down the headlines and make sense of the stories shaping our region.
❤️ SEA’s Love for Sleep
So IKEA has just released IKEA Sleep Uncovered 2025, a global survey measuring attitudes toward sleep.
The study surveyed more than 55,000 respondents, across 57 IKEA markets worldwide.
And the results? Quite surprising.
Southeast Asia dominates the top five of the world’s most sleep-loving countries.
In other words, people here don’t just see sleep as a biological necessity,
they see it as something valuable and enjoyable.
Okay, now let’s take a look at the list.
Number one is Indonesia, with 73 percent of people saying they love sleep.
Second is Thailand, at 71 percent.
The Philippines comes in third, with 68 percent.
Singapore follows in fourth, at 66 percent.
And lastly, the only non–Southeast Asian country on the list, Egypt, with 65 percent.
So yes, my fellow Southeast Asians… we really do love sleep.
Some people love it so much that they’d rather sleep than go out.
And according to the survey, students, parents, and night-shift workers are even more likely to see sleep as a joy.
😴 We Need More Sleep, But Life Gets in the Way
But here’s the paradox.
Even though we love sleep, we don’t always get enough of it.
Take Indonesia, for example.
Despite ranking highest in valuing sleep, people are only getting an average of six hours and 36 minutes a night.
Well, that’s below the recommended seven to eight hours of sleep.
Thailand, Philippines, and Singapore face similar hurdles.
And this isn’t just a Southeast Asian issue.
Globally, there’s a gap between how much sleep we want and how much sleep we actually get, about one hour and twenty minutes.
That gap doesn’t come from nowhere.
It’s driven by modern life, like hustle culture, long working hours, stress and anxiety, and heavy nighttime gadget use that quietly pushes bedtime further and further back.
Financial pressure plays a role, too.
In fact, it plays a bigger role than many of us expect.
Because here’s the uncomfortable truth: sleep may be free, but good sleep is a luxury.
First, the survey shows that higher-income earners tend to sleep better than those on lower incomes.
Second, About 27 percent of financially insecure people wake up more than twice a night, compared to the global average of 19 percent.
Third the lower your income, the more likely you are to experience bad dreams or nightmares.
So yes, money can haunt your sleep.
🛌 How to Get Good Sleep
But don’t worry, there is some good news.
If you’re having trouble sleeping, you might want to start with something simple, like finding a partner.
The survey shows that people who sleep with a partner tend to have higher sleep scores than those who sleep solo.
And if that feels like a big step, relax. You can start small.
Try keeping regular bedtimes and wake-up times.
Create a cosy, clutter-free space with dim lighting.
Stay physically active during the day.
You know small habits are creating a big impact.
Because sleep really does matter.
The gap between valuing sleep and failing to get enough will lead to a health issue.
Harvard Medical School recommends adults get at least seven hours of sleep a night.
Missing that target consistently affects memory, mood, and long-term health.
And according to findings presented at the World Sleep Congress 2025, chronic sleep deprivation costs the region billions of dollars each year in lost productivity and higher healthcare costs.
But too much sleep isn’t the answer either.
Oversleeping comes with its own set of problems, from metabolic issues to heart disease.
🎧 The Wrap
So now you know more about sleep.
Will it make you love it even more?
Just be careful, sleep works a lot like love.
Too much or too little, and things can go wrong
I’m Akasha Viandri, and this has been The Southeast Asia Desk Weekly Dispatch Podcast. where we slow down the noise and follow the region’s compass.
If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to our newsletter at thesoutheastasiadesk.com, and join us again next weekend for stories to linger over, one weekend at a time
