One in five Dutch have trouble sleeping

20 percent of Dutch people aged 12 and older had trouble sleeping in 2017, according to figures from Statistics Netherlands' Heath Survey.

In the two weeks before the survey, 20 percent of Dutch had trouble falling asleep, struggled to sleep through the night, or woke up too early. Ten percent indicated that they had serious sleep problems. 41 percent of the Dutch with sleep problems say it hampers their daily functioning, causing forgetfulness or poor concentration. Among those with serious sleep problems, 57 percent say it hampers their daily functioning.

Sleep problems are more common the older you get Among 12 to 16 year olds, 16 percent have trouble sleeping, compared to 19 percent of 40 to 45 year olds and 28 percent of people 75 and older. On average, women struggle more with sleep problems from men - 25 percent of women and 15 percent of men. 

The survey also fund that people with a low income more often have sleep problems than people with higher earnings. Of the 20 percent of households with the highest incomes, 16 percent report trouble sleeping. Among the households with with the lowest incomes, that percentage doubles.