Why understanding sleep is important for everyone
Sleep is the foundation for physical and mental well-being. Yet many people in Germany struggle at night with stress, restlessness, and other factors that disrupt their recovery.
To better understand what truly influences our sleep quality, Dailydream conducted a nationwide study. The results reveal not only how long we actually sleep, but also which conditions and disruptive factors are crucial for restful sleep.
"Anyone who develops sleep products needs to understand what really prevents people from sleeping well. This study provides us with the answers."
6 key findings about sleep
What you need to know about the sleeping habits of Germans
Grade 3.1
Parents sleep worse - mothers are most affected
Women with children only rate their sleep at 3.10, while men with children rate it at 2.83
Zurück zur Zusammenfassung
Women with children On average, they rate their sleep using a school grade. 3.10, while Men with children him with 2.83 assess – a significant difference.
This shows that mothers are measurably more burdened by nighttime disturbances – such as children waking up at night, breastfeeding, or the mental responsibility in everyday family life.
"As a sleep coach and father of three children, I know that mothers in particular often perform unpaid care work at night – without real rest. This makes good sleep quality all the more important, which is supported by the right environment and the right products."
– Tobias Jaroschek, Managing Director of Dailydream
+45min
Working from home can improve sleep
Those who work from home sleep better: They rate their sleep quality with a grade of 2.88, while those who do not have the option of working from home get a score of 3.18 - a clear difference.
Zurück zur Zusammenfassung
A surprisingly positive influence is seen in people who have the opportunity to participate in working from home To work: They rate their sleep quality with a grade 2.88, while those without the option of working from home on 3.18 coming – a clear difference.
This speaks in favor of the Relief through flexible working hoursElimination of commuting time and greater autonomy over one's daily rhythm. However, the same applies here: those who work late into the night on their laptop or constantly check their mobile phone risk poorer sleep quality.
10:04 p.m
Hamburg goes to bed the latest
The latest people to go to bed are in Berlin (9:55 pm), Saxony (9:56 pm) and Hamburg (10:04 pm).
Zurück zur Zusammenfassung
The study examined the most common Disruptive factors, which negatively impact people's sleep quality. The strongest negative correlations were found with:
- Racing thoughts/brooding: Correlation of 0.429 leading to worsened sleep quality
- Back pain/neck tension: Correlation of 0.375
- Using mobile phones in bed: Correlation of 0.118
This shows that, besides physical ailments, mental state is the biggest influencing factor on sleep quality. Those who can't switch off at night demonstrably sleep worse.
23%
Refreshed after a power nap
People who regularly take power naps rate their sleep quality worse on average (grade 3.03) than people who don't take power naps (grade 2.70).
Zurück zur Zusammenfassung
Another interesting finding: People who regularly take power naps, rate their sleep quality worse on average (Grade 3.03) than people who do not take a midday nap (Grade 2.70).
This contradicts the often-propagated "power nap theory" and suggests that people who sleep during the day often do so because... Nighttime regeneration is insufficient – not for the sake of relaxation.
#1
Saxony-Anhalt gets up earliest
In Saxony-Anhalt, workers wake up the earliest on working days: their eyes open on average at 5:48 a.m.
Zurück zur Zusammenfassung
With an average wake-up time of 5:48 a.m., people in Saxony-Anhalt are the earliest risers. They wake up almost a minute earlier than in Thuringia, where the average wake-up time is 5:49 a.m., and over an hour earlier than in Hesse, where the average wake-up time is 7:02 a.m.
However, actual wake-up times differ from reported wake-up times – in Saxony-Anhalt, for example, people don't get up until 7:20 a.m. on average. This suggests that sleep in this state is particularly light and disturbed by nighttime restlessness.
7:52 hours
Berliners sleep the longest
In Berlin, people apparently have the longest sleep on average in the country: residents of the city get an average of 7:52 hours per night.
Zurück zur Zusammenfassung
Berliners sleep the longest on weekdays, averaging 7:52 hours, putting them more than half an hour ahead of the people of Hesse, who enjoy the shortest average sleep duration of 7:12 hours per night.
The shorter commutes to work within the city limits could play a role here.
Detailed data analysis
Insights into the habits, challenges, and patterns that shape sleep in Germany
Differences in sleep duration on working days
The amount of sleep taken by employed people on working days varies depending on the region, with Berlin workers sleeping the longest at 7 hours and 52 minutes, while those in Hesse sleep an average of only 7 hours and 12 minutes.
Regional lifestyles, commuting times, or working hours can influence how much sleep employees get on working days.
Clock Hesse
Clock Average
Clock Berlin
Descriptive statistics
| Sleep duration in hours for employed individuals who have to work the next day. | mean | Difference in minutes |
| Hesse | 07:12:42 | |
| Thuringia | 07:17:03 | 04:21 |
| Brandenburg | 07:26:31 | 13:49 |
| Saarland | 07:28:47 | 16:05 |
| Baden-Württemberg | 07:32:02 | 19:20 |
| Lower Saxony | 07:33:26 | 20:44 |
| Hamburg | 07:36:05 | 23:23 |
| Schleswig-Holstein | 07:36:20 | 23:38 |
| Rhineland-Palatinate | 07:36:24 | 23:42 |
| Saxony-Anhalt | 07:39:52 | 27:10 |
| Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania | 07:42:42 | 30:00 |
| Bavaria | 07:43:13 | 30:31 |
| North Rhine-Westphalia | 07:44:02 | 31:20 |
| Saxony | 07:47:04 | 34:22 |
| Bremen | 07:48:03 | 35:21 |
| Berlin | 07:52:33 | 39:51 |
Sleep quality differs between genders
Women report overall slightly worse sleep compared to men, which reflects measurable differences in nighttime recovery between the sexes on the standard school grading scale of 1–6.
Gender appears to influence sleep quality, with women experiencing marginally less recovery compared to men.
Descriptive statistics
| Additional question: Gender | N | minimum | maximum | mean | Standard deviation | |
| Masculine | How good is your sleep overall? (Please rate your sleep on a school grading scale from 1 (very good) to 6 (unsatisfactory)) Valid values (list-wise) | 985 | 1 | 6 | 2.90 | 1,199 |
| Female | How good is your sleep overall? (Please rate your sleep on a school grading scale from 1 (very good) to 6 (unsatisfactory)) Valid values (list-wise) | 1084 | 1 | 6 | 3.13 | 1,290 |
Women with children sleep worse than men with children
A key finding of the study concerns the differences between parents with children. Women with children rate their sleep on average with a grade of 3.10, while men with children rate it with 2.83 – a significant difference.
This shows that mothers are measurably more burdened by nighttime disturbances – such as children waking up at night, breastfeeding, or the mental responsibility in everyday family life.
Sleep quality and power naps
People who regularly take power naps report slightly worse overall sleep compared to those who don't. Power naps apparently cannot adequately replace a full night's sleep.
Power naps can indicate insufficient sleep at night, rather than improving overall sleep quality.
Descriptive statistics
| Power nap | N | minimum | maximum | mean | Standard deviation | |
| No | How good is your sleep overall? (Please rate your sleep on a school grading scale from 1 (very good) to 6 (unsatisfactory)) Valid values (list-wise) | 104 | 1 | 6 | 2.70 | 1,238 |
| Yes | How good is your sleep overall? (Please rate your sleep on a school grading scale from 1 (very good) to 6 (unsatisfactory)) Valid values (list-wise) | 1965 | 1 | 6 | 3.03 | 1,251 |
Sleep ratings by income group
People with above-average incomes report slightly better sleep, while those with below-average incomes experience lower sleep quality, highlighting clear socioeconomic influences on nighttime sleep.
Socioeconomic factors appear to influence how well people sleep, suggesting that income may affect the quality of nighttime sleep.
* Above-average earners report better sleep, while below-average earners experience lower sleep quality.
Descriptive statistics
| income | N | minimum | maximum | mean | Standard deviation | |
| How good is your sleep overall? (Please rate your sleep on a school grading scale from 1 (very good) to 6 (unsatisfactory)) Valid values (list-wise) | 326 | 1 | 6 | 3.11 | 1,267 | |
| Below average | How good is your sleep overall? (Please rate your sleep on a school grading scale from 1 (very good) to 6 (unsatisfactory)) Valid values (list-wise) | 871 | 1 | 6 | 3.16 | 1,301 |
| above average | How good is your sleep overall? (Please rate your sleep on a school grading scale from 1 (very good) to 6 (unsatisfactory)) Valid values (list-wise) | 872 | 1 | 6 | 2.84 | 1,174 |
Shared beds and sleep disorders
People who sleep alone report better overall sleep compared to couples or those in shared beds, who are often disturbed by snoring and movements of their partner.
Partner-related disturbances, especially snoring, significantly impair the nighttime sleep of couples compared to those who sleep alone.
Descriptive statistics
| Snoring of partner | N | minimum | maximum | mean | Standard deviation | |
| How good is your sleep overall? (Please rate your sleep on a school grading scale from 1 (very good) to 6 (unsatisfactory)) Valid values (list-wise) | 293 | 1 | 6 | 3.18 | 1,205 | |
| Never bothers me, or sometimes. | How good is your sleep overall? (Please rate your sleep on a school grading scale from 1 (very good) to 6 (unsatisfactory)) Valid values (list-wise) | 1554 | 1 | 6 | 2.94 | 1,236 |
| Disturbs frequently or always | How good is your sleep overall? (Please rate your sleep on a school grading scale from 1 (very good) to 6 (unsatisfactory)) Valid values (list-wise) | 222 | 1 | 6 | 3.35 | 1,349 |
* Average sleep duration varies between German states, ranging from just over 8 hours in Rhineland-Palatinate to almost 8 hours 46 minutes in Hamburg, with most states clustered around 8 hours 30 minutes, highlighting subtle regional differences in nighttime rest habits.
Sleep quality and home office use
People who can work from home report significantly better sleep, demonstrating the benefits of flexible working for nighttime recovery.
Providing home office options can improve sleep quality and demonstrates the positive effect of flexible working on nighttime recovery.
Descriptive statistics
| working from home | N | minimum | maximum | mean | Standard deviation | |
| Fully on-site | How good is your sleep overall? (Please rate your sleep on a school grading scale from 1 (very good) to 6 (unsatisfactory)) Valid values (list-wise) | 759 | 1 | 6 | 3.18 | 1,308 |
| Justified | How good is your sleep overall? (Please rate your sleep on a school grading scale from 1 (very good) to 6 (unsatisfactory)) Valid values (list-wise) | 750 | 1 | 6 | 2.96 | 1,222 |
| Completely remote | How good is your sleep overall? (Please rate your sleep on a school grading scale from 1 (very good) to 6 (unsatisfactory)) Valid values (list-wise) | 560 | 1 | 6 | 2.88 | 1,192 |
What keeps us awake at night
The Biggest Factors Keeping People Up at Night, Ranked by Their Impact on Sleep Quality (See Full Report)
Racing thoughts keep the mind awake
Overthinking about everyday problems and future plans makes it harder to relax and fall asleep.
Children disrupt nighttime sleep
Parents, especially mothers, lose sleep due to crying, feeding, and constant care demands.
Noise from neighbors or streets
City noises and noisy environments prevent many from sleeping through the night.
Irregular sleeping habits
Changing bedtimes disrupt the body's rhythm and weaken sleep consistency.
Back pain
A large number of Germans suffer from back pain or tension or simply sleep on an uncomfortable, unsuitable mattress that causes pain throughout the night.
Cell phone use in bed
What most of us do is bad for our sleep quality. Bright screen light, disturbing videos – if you want to sleep well, you should turn to the tried and tested book.
methodology & Approach
A representative survey that reflects how people in Germany actually sleep
Participant
- 2,081 adults aged 18 and over from all German federal states
- Diverse groups: employees, students, parents, singles and retirees
Survey period
- Conducted between May 27 and June 12, 2025
Implementation of the survey
- Conducted by YouGov Germany GmbH
- Independent statistical validation to ensure accuracy
Representativeness
- Data weighted by age, gender and region
- Balanced representation of employment status
Good sleep for everyone, anytime and anywhere
Sleep is not a luxury, but a basic human need.
That's why Dailydream is committed to ensuring that everyone has the chance to dream softly, relax, and wake up full of energy for the day.
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