The government publishes a roadmap for "quality sleep" to counter the "1.5 hours less per night in 50 years"

By The New Obs with AFP

Published on July 22, 2025 at 9:44 p.m.

Reading time: 2 min.

Illustrative image. LILIAN CAZABET / HANS LUCAS VIA AFP

Naps, and above all, good nights: the French need to restore their sleep capacity, the decline of which is alarming doctors and public authorities.

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"Studies have shown that the sleep of the French has decreased by 1.5 hours in 50 years and that almost 50% of French people complain of having poor quality sleep," explained Health Minister Yannick Neuder on Tuesday, July 22, while presenting a new "interministerial roadmap for quality sleep."

"And we know that poor quality sleep has impacts on health, whether in mental health - more stress, depression, etc. - or in organic health, with more obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease," he said.

A label for places to nap

The roadmap plans to strengthen awareness-raising efforts for good sleep in public communications, particularly via the website mangerbouger.fr, or the mental health app Jardin Mental, developed by the Ministry of Health.

It also plans to increase awareness among childhood and workplace professionals, and to improve the identification of sleep disorders in the population by better training and equipping professionals.

Naps are one of the objectives, with the development of the "Quiet" label, which allows for the identification of places (schools, libraries, businesses, shops, restaurants, etc.) "promoting well-being, relaxation, and even naps" , and a new text to come to frame the organization of naps in nursery schools.

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For the world of work, "there will be no actual recommendation from the Ministry of Health to employers," indicated Yannick Neuder, who declared himself generally "very favorable" to post-prandial rest.

"But we can say that as far as possible ," it is desirable "to set up, as many companies already do spontaneously, break areas, quiet spaces which allow employees to take micro-naps," he declared.

"It's not about imposing measures that would be unfeasible in certain companies, but I believe that in the context of CSR (corporate social responsibility), well-being at work, many companies have already thought about these issues and are proposing them," he added.

Essential nighttime sleep

Napping is not a panacea anyway: it helps combat drowsiness or restore attention or concentration skills, but it does not help recover from a lack of nighttime sleep, experts explain.

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"In mental health or cardiovascular health, it has been shown that napping on weekends, when we are too sleep deprived, is a 'lesser evil', which allows us to regenerate our bodies and be in better health," according to Pierre-Alexis Geoffroy, psychiatrist and sleep specialist.

Generally speaking, for all the sleep specialists gathered at the ministry on Tuesday, it is nighttime sleep that is essential for human beings, with requirements in terms of duration, quality, and regularity - because sleeping in does not allow for recovery from a nighttime sleep deficit.

For adolescents, of whom it is estimated that 50% sleep "much less" than the recommended 9 hours, "it has been shown that a two-week period of insomnia in the year represents a risk multiplied by 3 of developing a psychiatric disorder in the following year" , indicated Professor Carmen Schröder, child psychiatrist specializing in sleep.

"Sleep debt" linked to sleep apnea "is a major factor in the obesity epidemic," said Professor Renaud Tamisier, director of the sleep exploration center at Grenoble Alpes University Hospital.

The combination of "going to bed too late or too early, associated with sleep discontinuity or insufficient sleep duration will be major determinants of cardiovascular health," stressed Dr. Sébastien Baillieul, sleep specialist at Grenoble University Hospital.

By The New Obs with AFP

The government publishes a roadmap for "quality sleep" to counter the "1.5 hours less per night in 50 years"

By The New Obs with AFP

Published on July 22, 2025 at 9:44 p.m.

Reading time: 2 min.

Google News Subscribe

Naps, and above all, good nights: the French need to restore their sleep capacity, the decline of which is alarming doctors and public authorities.

Also read

World Sleep Day : Why a good night's sleep can save our lives

A label for places to nap

It also plans to increase awareness among childhood and workplace professionals, and to improve the identification of sleep disorders in the population by better training and equipping professionals.

Also read

Interview : “Napping is an effective response to the contemporary epidemic of sleep debt”

Essential nighttime sleep

Napping is not a panacea anyway: it helps combat drowsiness or restore attention or concentration skills, but it does not help recover from a lack of nighttime sleep, experts explain.

Also read

Series "Insomnia is a painful in-between: too awake to be asleep, too tired to be alive"

"Sleep debt" linked to sleep apnea "is a major factor in the obesity epidemic," said Professor Renaud Tamisier, director of the sleep exploration center at Grenoble Alpes University Hospital.

By The New Obs with AFP

Le Nouvel Observateur

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