Germany Has Such Trouble Falling Asleep—and What Really Helps with Sleepless Nights?

Do you have trouble falling asleep? Can’t get a wink of sleep at night? Then you’re not alone. Many Germans struggle to fall asleep. Yet restful sleep has a lasting impact on your mental and physical health and is a factor for your well-being that shouldn’t be underestimated. So you shouldn’t take the significance and importance of sleep lightly. But what do we Germans actually do when we can’t get a wink of sleep? And which of these methods are truly helpful? BLACKROLL® wanted to take a closer look at this and conducted a representative survey of 5,003 Germans aged 18 and older. The results showed that trouble falling asleep is widespread in Germany.

Majority of Germans Struggle to Fall Asleep

As a general rule: If you have trouble falling asleep, you’re not alone.Nearly one in three Germans struggles with falling asleep from time to time.

• Only one in five Germans never has trouble falling asleep
• Nearly one in three has trouble falling asleep once or more per week.
• Overall, half of Germans have trouble falling asleep at least once a year.

• Women are twice as likely as men to have trouble falling asleep every night.
• Men report slightly more often that they are never affected by problems falling asleep.
• Otherwise, however, there is little difference between the sexes, and they struggle with falling asleep in very similar ways.

• Not even half of Germans get seven hours or less of sleep per night; just under 5% sleep even less than five hours per night.
• People between the ages of 50 and 64 are the most affected by insufficient sleep. Among them, one in four gets seven hours of sleep or less.
• Only about one in 10 people sleeps significantly more than 7–8 hours per night.

• One in two Germans shares a bed with a partner.
• Demographic change is also reflected in this survey: Hardly anyone sleeps in the same bed or room as a (young) child.

• One in five people turn to over-the-counter remedies like valerian or CBD when they can’t fall asleep—only reading is a more popular strategy.
• Germans are least likely to turn to legal intoxicants like alcohol or nicotine. That’s a good thing, since substances like alcohol disrupt your sleep and don’t help you fall asleep or sleep better.
• One in three people cannot nameany countermeasures. We can only speculate here—but it’s possible that factors not covered in the questionnaire, such as illegal drugs or sex, play a role.

Age Differences: Media Consumption as a Sleep Aid Is Especially Popular Among Younger People

• When it comes to media, Gen Z is way ahead: Nearly all respondents between the ages of 18 and 29 reported turning to movies, sounds, or reading material when having trouble falling asleep.
• People aged 40 to 49 are most likely to turn to prescription medications: One in 10 people said they use this method when having trouble falling asleep.
• One in 10 people between the ages of 30 and 39 turns to legal intoxicants such as alcohol when plagued by trouble falling asleep.