Hong Kong people become Suspicious and Reserved with lack of Sleep

New sleep research published this month reveals that Hong Kong people become suspicious and reserved after poor sleep.

The research, exploring the effect a lack of sleep has on different personality types in Asia Pacific, was commissioned by British Airways as part of its ongoing research into sleep.

The survey explored the preferred sleeping positions of four nationalities, their associated characteristics and the effects poor sleep had on their personality.

The research revealed most Hong Kong people to be outgoing and sensitive regardless of their sleeping position, but that they became suspicious and reserved with lack of sleep. However, Hong Kong people are not alone in being affected by poor sleep. The easygoing Australians became tougher and much less easygoing, the carefree Singaporeans became more demanding, and the essentially easygoing Japanese became more demanding and unwilling to reveal their true feelings.

In Hong Kong it is not uncommon to be caught on the net, experience long hours in the office or to be out late. The side effects of poor sleep in a person’s personality can also be reflected in their performance, suggesting that the patterns should be addressed by getting more sleep on a consistent basis, even if that means cutting back on activities and other demands.

“This study has enabled us to understand the relationship between sleep and performance more fully,” says sleep expert Dr Chris Idzikowski. “From it, we can conclude that sleep disturbance results in a number of changes to our normal characteristics, and to perform at our peak we require a good night’s sleep.

“Very little research has been conducted on sleep and personalities,” Dr Idzikowski continued. “However this study does illustrate that personality traits are affected by sleep deprivation. Personality states also have an impact on business styles, emphasising the importance of sleep on performance particularly in a business environment.”

When you are deprived of sleep, your decision making ability drops by up to 50 per cent. In addition, communication skills drop by 30 per cent, memory by 20 per cent and your attention by a staggering 75 per cent. So you must sleep well to perform at your best.

“British Airways understands the importance of sleep to business travellers and is committed to ensuring they have the best sleep possible when flying with us,” said Stacey Philipsen, General Marketing Manager, British Airways Asia Pacific. “Five years ago when we introduced the fully flat bed in business class, we worked with a former NASA fatigue expert to research sleep in flight to develop our product. Today, we are still committed to understanding more about sleep to ensure we deliver the best product to passengers, enabling them to get a good night’s sleep so they arrive refreshed and ready to do business.”

The research was conducted by IPSOS and analysed by Dr Chris Idzikowski, author of ‘Learn to Sleep Well’ and Director of the Sleep Assessment and Advisory Service. This survey extends the first sleep study completed by Dr Idzikowski in the United Kingdom in 2003 which reinforced the idea that the sleep onset position and personality might be linked. This British Airways commissioned study extended the data to a cross-cultural study in Asia Pacific.

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