If you’ve ever smugly told a friend you got a solid eight hours, it turns out you’re in very good company. New research from OURA, the company behind the world’s most widely used smart ring, has found that Australians and New Zealanders are officially among the longest sleepers on the planet. And yet, despite clocking impressive hours in bed, many of us are still running on empty by mid-afternoon. Here’s what the data actually tells us about how Australians sleep, why quality matters just as much as quantity, and what small changes can genuinely make a difference.
Australians & New Zealanders sleep more than almost anyone else
The ANZ: The State of Sleep Report 2026 analysed data from thousands of wearers across 13 countries between October 2024 and September 2025. The results were striking: New Zealanders averaged 7 hours and 11 minutes of sleep per night, placing them first globally, while Australians came in just behind at 7 hours and 9 minutes.
To put that in context, the recommended adult sleep range is 7 to 9 hours, and both countries sit comfortably within it. Compare that to Japan and South Korea, where averages fall well under 6.5 hours, and the difference is significant. On sleep duration alone, ANZ is firmly on the podium.
Why sleep duration alone does not tell the full story
Here’s where things get interesting. While New Zealanders technically clock more minutes asleep, the data suggests Australians are getting better quality rest overall.
Australians average 74 minutes of deep sleep per night compared to 72 minutes for New Zealanders, and they spend less time awake during the night, 73 minutes versus 76 minutes. REM sleep, which is linked to memory consolidation, emotional processing and creativity, was equal between both countries at 94 minutes per night.
Deep sleep is the most physically restorative stage of the sleep cycle. It is when the body repairs tissue, supports immune function and consolidates memory. Less fragmented sleep, meaning fewer awakenings overnight, is a strong indicator that sleep is doing its job. On that measure, Australians are sleeping more soundly, even if not for quite as long.
We are a nation of early birds
Another standout finding is that Australians and New Zealanders are the world’s earliest to bed and earliest to rise. The average Australian goes to sleep at 10:51pm and wakes at 7:05am. New Zealanders are even earlier, with an average bedtime of 10:46pm and a 7:07am wake-up time, almost a full hour before people in the UAE, who average a wake time of nearly 8am.
This early-bird tendency is not purely cultural. It is also biological. Your chronotype refers to your genetically influenced preference for morning or evening activity, and both Australia and New Zealand have the highest proportion of morning chronotypes in the world. Around 43 per cent of Australians and 39 per cent of New Zealanders fall into the Early Morning or Morning categories, while only 5 per cent of Australians and 4 per cent of New Zealanders are classified as Evening or Late Evening types.
Compare that to countries like India, Japan and South Korea, where later chronotypes and post-midnight bedtimes are far more common, and the ANZ tendency to rise early starts to look less like a lifestyle choice and more like a biological reality baked into our body clocks.
The stress problem: Why we’re tired despite sleeping well
So if Australians are among the world’s best sleepers, why do so many of us still feel like we need more rest? The answer lies in what happens during the other 17 hours of our day.
The report reveals a striking paradox: Australians have the lowest amount of restored daytime time of any country analysed, averaging just 55 minutes of genuine physical recovery per day. At the same time, Australians spend an average of 107 minutes per day in a physiologically stressed state, meaning elevated heart rate, higher breathing rate and reduced heart rate variability, all measurable markers of a body under strain.
New Zealanders fare slightly better at 101 stressed minutes per day, but both countries are struggling to build meaningful recovery into their waking hours.
It is worth noting that physiological stress in this context does not necessarily mean feeling anxious. The body’s measurable stress response can be triggered by physical exertion, work pressure, poor nutrition or even a busy social schedule. Recovery time, by contrast, is when the body is in a calm, parasympathetic state, the kind of quiet restoration that rest periods, gentle movement and a proper wind-down routine can support.
The picture that emerges is of two nations compensating for high-pressure days with longer nights, rather than building recovery into the day itself. Both Australians and New Zealanders are most physiologically stressed on Saturdays, suggesting that even weekends are not the restorative break many of us assume they are.
The weekend sleep shift
One of the more relatable findings in the report is what researchers describe as the weekend sleep rebound. Both Australians and New Zealanders sleep noticeably longer on Saturdays and Sundays, with the difference most pronounced after Friday nights.
This pattern is common in busy, social cultures, and Australia and New Zealand are nothing if not social. But it can also signal accumulated weekday sleep debt. When early alarms force the day to start before the body is ready, and social schedules push bedtimes later on weekends, the body’s internal clock starts to drift. This phenomenon, sometimes called social jet lag, can undermine sleep quality even when total hours increase.
Sleep scientists consistently point to consistent bedtimes and wake times, including on weekends, as one of the most effective ways to improve sleep quality over time. Keeping the circadian rhythm anchored helps the body progress smoothly through all sleep stages, so waking up feels refreshing rather than like dragging yourself out of quicksand.
What alcohol actually does to your sleep
The impact of alcohol on sleep is measurable and, for many people, underestimated. On nights when study participants logged alcohol consumption, data showed an average of 35 minutes less total sleep, 6 minutes less deep sleep, 15 minutes less REM sleep and sleep scores that were 6.8 per cent lower overall.
Alcohol is often perceived as a sleep aid because it can make falling asleep feel easier. But the evidence consistently shows it disrupts sleep architecture, particularly the deep and REM stages that are most restorative. It also increases overnight awakenings and is associated with lower heart rate variability and a higher resting heart rate, both signs that the body is not recovering as efficiently as it could be.
The insight here is not necessarily to stop drinking, but to understand how timing and quantity affect your individual sleep. Many people find that finishing drinking earlier in the evening, or simply reducing frequency, makes a noticeable difference to how they feel the following morning, without requiring a complete lifestyle overhaul.
Small changes that actually move the needle
The research points to several practical adjustments that tend to make a genuine difference for Australian and New Zealand sleepers specifically.
Understanding your chronotype matters more than most people realise. If you are naturally wired to feel alert in the morning, working with that tendency rather than against it can improve both sleep quality and daytime energy. Trying to become a night owl when your biology leans morning is a losing battle for most people.
Consistency is more valuable than duration. A regular bedtime and wake time, seven days a week, tends to improve sleep efficiency more reliably than trying to catch up on weekends. Even shifting bedtime by 30 minutes earlier and holding it steady can have a meaningful cumulative effect.
Building recovery into the day, not just the night, is perhaps the most important takeaway for Australians specifically. With the lowest daytime restored time of any country studied, even small additions such as a short walk, ten minutes of quiet after lunch or a genuine screen-free wind-down before bed can start to shift the balance. Sleep is not the only time the body recovers, and treating it as the sole source of restoration leaves a significant gap in overall wellbeing.
The ANZ: State of Sleep Report 2026 is based on data from a minimum of 5,000 OURA users per country, collected between October 2024 and September 2025.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
