Remarried couples in Beijing can now have additional children, thanks to a new law the city passed. (Photo : Getty Images)
In China, children from ages 7-16 are most likely to stay up late surfing the Internet, according to a World Sleep Day survey.
The World Sleep Day was held last March 21 to promote awareness about insomnia.
The survey, launched by a local mobile social media platform, indicated that children are often holding onto mobile phones or tablets right before bedtime.
Research also shows that over 70 percent of children in nine Chinese cities, including Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xi'an and Wuhan, got too little sleep than what is required for their age and growth.
Xu Zhifei, a doctor at Beijing Children's Hospital, cites that this level of insufficient sleep might "hinder the development of their cognitive and study abilities."
In Shanghai, authorities have decided to push the time that school starts to eight in the morning. Following this shift, improvement in the students' study abilities has been reported.
Children in China are not the only ones affected by sleeping problems, as the China's workforce also face the same. People working in the PR, media and gaming industries rank top among those who stay up late, followed by workers in animation and investment fields, says the World Sleep Day survey.
"A daily sleeping pattern of seven to nine hours ensures the best quality of results for adults," says Yang Qingwu, a doctor of Xinqiao Hospital.
It was also revealed in a forum held recently by the Chinese Sleep Research Society that in China alone, around 17 million people suffer from various mental illnesses, which can be caused by sleep disorders. In China, the most common form of sleep disorder is insomnia, affecting about 30 percent of the population.
Jia Fujun, vice president of the Chinese Sleep Research Society, elaborates that long-term insomnia can cause depression.
"Long-term insomnia is a leading factor that may cause clinical depression," Jia said. "Those who suffer from insomnia have a higher rate of depression than those who do not."
The World Sleep Day was brought to China in 2001 by the Chinese Sleep Research Society.
