The fourth edition of a pan-India sleep study by Wakefit.co ranks Delhi-NCR as the top among those fearing insomnia across India. In Gurugram, a whopping 42 per cent of people complained about work keeping them up late at night -- as compared to 17 per cent last year.

The 2021 study -- Great Indian Sleep Scorecard (GISS) 2021 -- sheds light on the interconnectedness between sleep and work-life balance during the pandemic and discovers an increased awareness towards sleep health in Delhi-NCR. According to the report, the fear of insomnia increased from 19 per cent last year to 24 per cent this year, with Delhi-NCR topping the list of cities where residents are most worried about sleeplessness. Over 50 per cent of Delhiites reported being anxious about suffering from insomnia.

The 2021 report reveals that 42 per cent of Gurugram residents complained about work keeping them up late at night. Last year, the corresponding number was 17 per cent. With remote working becoming the norm, almost 1 in 2 respondents from Delhi-NCR said that they worked night shifts this year, as opposed to almost 1 in 10 last year.

There was also a significant jump in Delhiites staying up to work on their beds, up from 18 per cent last year to 47 per cent this year. It comes as no surprise then that people who used their phones just before sleeping was as high as 94 per cent in Delhi-NCR despite greater awareness about the perils of using electronic devices before bedtime.

The blurring boundaries between work and home has resulted in 81 per cent of Delhiites feeling sleepy during work hours 1-3 times a week.

According to Chaitanya Ramalingegowda, Co-founder and Director, Wakefit.co: "This year, while all of India has been working from home and adapting to a very different lifestyle altogether, we noticed a rather sizeable increase in the number of Delhiites working night shifts, recording increases in screen time, sleeping late at night due to work, and also having the fear of insomnia. Our sleep study was curated to help India pay more attention to sleep and we are constantly working towards educating our country about the same. The need of the hour is for Delhi-NCR, as a community, to pioneer cultural shifts that can help the city prioritise sleep health as part of their daily routine."

Incidentally, the GISS 2021 study reveals that an increasing number of people are now paying attention to the quality of sleep and the importance of investing in a good mattress. Nearly 59 per cent of respondents from Delhi- NCR, across age groups, believed that a better mattress is the key to better sleep. Last year, the corresponding number was 38 per cent.

The Great Indian Sleep Scorecard is an ongoing survey and the 2021 edition received 16,000+ responses, recorded from March 2020 to February 2021. It covers respondents in all Indian cities, across age groups, starting from 18 years.