Sleep directly affects the quality of our lives, so getting enough sleep is especially important. How Latvians sleep and what habits they have was found out in a survey of the top! store chain. Maximum darkness and lower temperature in the bedroom, as well as a comfortable bed, pillow and blanket are the most common ways in which the inhabitants of Latvia take care of improving the quality of sleep. Among the respondents, the majority assess the quality of their sleep as insufficient (71.6%), they sleep for 6-8 hours (59%), most of them wake up 1-2 times a night (59%).

“Sleep quality is a fundamental cornerstone of quality of life. Regardless of how each of us views sleep, a good night's sleep provides the best start to the morning and therefore a better day and enjoyment of life. This is just as important as a healthy, balanced diet and physical activity. The majority or 61% prefer to sleep on one pillow each day, while the most popular are a soft feather pillow (41%) and a thin (22%) or down (25%) blanket. Pillows and blankets play almost as important role in sleep quality as the right bed and mattress, so choosing the right one is of the most importance. The top! store chain wishes you to find the best sleep recipe!” – Ilze Priedīte, Member of the Board and Marketing Director of the top! store chain, notes.

The quality of sleep is affected by various factors, some of which begin to act in the afternoon and before bedtime. To improve sleep, the majority of respondents try to ensure maximum darkness (33%) and a lower temperature in the bedroom (32%), then choosing an appropriate bed, blankets and pillows (25%) and a soothing shower or bath (18%) are important. Also popular are avoiding coffee and alcohol before bed (17%), soundproofing the bedroom (16%), and turning off various screens before bed (12%).

When asked about the quality of sleep, as mentioned above, the majority of respondents noted that their sleep is disturbed (50.3%), they rarely get enough sleep (17.3%) or even suffer from insomnia (4%), and only 28.4% enjoy a very good sleep. On average, 59 respondents sleep 6-8 hours, but the proportion of respondents who sleep 6 hours or less is alarmingly high (37.5%). On the other hand, waking up at night is a problem for 86% of respondents, for whom the most common cause of sleep disturbance is visiting amenities (24.1%), 24.5% wake up seemingly for no reason, and 13.8% are awaken by a child. Only 33.4% of respondents try to recuperate during the day by taking a nap, 30.4% would like to do it but cannot afford it, and for 36.2% taking a nap or a power nap is not a daily practice.

The top 5 ways to fall asleep among respondents are remembering pleasant events of the day (15.3%), imagining a soothing view of nature (6.8%), soothing music or sounds (5.8%), casting good thoughts in the mind (5%) and breathing exercises (4.5%).

Online survey of the top! store chain took place from 20 to 30 September. It was attended by 763 respondents from Riga (17.6%) and the Riga Region (7.2%), Vidzeme (34.2%), Kurzeme (16.6%), Zemgale (13.6%) and Latgale (10.7%).

top! is the largest store chain owned by Latvian entrepreneurs, as well as the third largest chain of retail stores in Latvia. Currently in Latvia under the brand name top! there are 202 grocery stores owned by 12 local companies, employing more than 3,500 people and supporting local producers and suppliers throughout Latvia.