By ninemsn staff
Australians are getting less sleep than ever before — spending more time in front of television and computer screens.
People are sleeping on average five minutes less than in 1997 — when the internet was just taking off — new figures from Australian Bureau of Statistics showed.
People are sacrificing leisure time, spending an hour 45 minutes less per week enjoying themselves and more time at work.
Although Australians sleep an average of eight and a half hours per night, the figure is inflated by 15-24 year olds who enjoy more than nine hours, it has been reported in The Australian Financial Review.
"I would have thought there'd be more than a five-minute change in ten years, given that commuting time has increased and also the amount of people with the internet [and] 24-hour shopping and supermarkets," sleep scientist Ron Grunstein said.
But those in stressful jobs are reportedly at risk from the consequences of not sleeping enough.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd recently admitted on Queensland Radio when asked about the demands of the top job, "[I] don't sleep too much."
The figures showed less women are now stay-at-home mums, and the time women are at work has risen by seven percent.
Women spend nearly an hour less on domestic activities, while men spent the same time doing duties around the home.
"The thing that's actually got squeezed is the time in housework and the most obvious victim of that is home cooking by women… which has reduced quite rapidly," Mr Grunstein said.
Front page
RSS Feed