How To Sleep Better As An Expat

Sleep is as essential to our health as eating, drinking, and breathing. It supports our physical recovery, mental clarity, and emotional stability. Yet, in today’s fast-paced world, achieving quality sleep has become increasingly challenging, especially for expats navigating the complexities of living abroad.

From adjusting to different time zones to coping with cultural shifts and new routines, expats face unique hurdles in maintaining good sleep hygiene. Let’s explore strategies to improve sleep and tackle the challenges head-on.

How does expat life affect your sleep?

Moving abroad can be an exciting leap into the unknown, but that uncertainty can extend into bedtime hours. While expat life is filled with new cultures, languages and routines, it also disrupts one of our most vital systems for health and well-being: sleep.

Sleep quality doesn’t just depend on how tired you feel at the end of the day. It’s affected by consistency, timing, environment, and stress levels – all of which are frequently in flux for expats.

Jet lag, irregular work schedules, social isolation and even the strain of adjusting to different mealtimes or climates can throw off your internal clock.

What key factors affect sleep for expats?

Recent findings from Oura’s Global Sleep Patterns Study, which analysed data from over 50 million nights of sleep across 35 countries, highlight just how much geography and lifestyle can impact sleep across the world.

Let’s take a look at some the key factors affecting sleep, and how they relate to expats:

Irregular sleep (and wake) times

According to the study, one of the key causes of poor sleep quality is inconsistency. For expats adjusting to new working hours, climates or social obligations, keeping a regular bedtime can be especially difficult.

The data found that greater variability in total sleep time across the week, was linked to shorter sleep duration. In other words, the more irregular your sleep, the less of it you get overall. And for expats juggling travel, jet lag and erratic work schedules, the risks of irregular sleep patterns are all the more prevalent.

Social jetlag

Social jetlag happens when your internal body clock doesn’t match your daily routine – like staying up late at the weekend and struggling to wake up for work on Monday. Just like jetlag from flying, social jetlag can leave you feeling sluggish, unfocused and physically exhausted, even if you’re spending more time in bed.

For expats, social jetlag is especially common. You might be living in a different time zone from your employer, friends and family, or working a schedule that forces you to shift your mealtimes and social life during the week. Over time, these mismatches can take a toll on your sleep quality and energy levels.

Working culture

Your sleep isn’t just about what time you go to bed, it’s also about how your environment lets you recover. The Oura study shows that working hours and cultural attitudes toward work are major contributors to national sleep patterns.

For example, Asian countries average 2,076 hours of work per year, compared to 1,683 hours in European countries. However, despite sleeping less on weekdays, people in Asia also showed less weekend sleep than people in Europe, suggesting that high-pressure work environments or cultures with blurred work-life boundaries may lead expats to struggle with sleep.

Stress and homesickness

Even without work pressure, settling into a country can be stressful. Expats often have to deal with language barriers, culture shock, homesickness and the stress of setting up life from scratch.

This ongoing stress often carries over into the night. Trouble falling asleep, waking up frequently, or feeling unrested in the morning are common experiences for those navigating life as an expat, and can affect not just the amount of sleep you get, but the quality of sleep too.

Which countries get the best sleep?

According to data collected by the Oura App in 2024, sleepers in these countries have the best quality sleep in the world:

New Zealand

79.8

Australia

78.7

Sweden

78.5

Finland

78.4

Austria

78.2

Four out of five of these countries are repeat winners from 2023, with Austria stealing fifth place from previous entrant Switzerland.

Looking to lower your stress levels?

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How much sleep do you need?

Getting enough sleep is essential for physical health, mental well-being, and overall quality of life, but ‘enough’ sleep can look different depending on your age and individual needs.

In this section, we’ll break down:

How much sleep is recommended at different life stages
How much deep sleep you should aim for
What can happen when your sleep falls short

How much sleep do you need by age?

We all want to sleep better. But how much sleep do we need? These are the recommended sleep durations based on age, according to The Sleep Foundation:

Infant

4-12 months

12-16 hours

Toddler

1-2 years

11-14 hours

Pre-school

3-5 years

10-13 hours

School-age

6-12 years

9-12 hours

Teenager

13-18 years

8-10 hours

Adult

18+ years

At least 7 hours

*These ranges reflect the amount of total sleep needed in a 24-hour period, including naps for younger children.

How much deep sleep should you get a night?

Not all stages of sleep are equal. Your body goes through various sleep cycles throughout the night, each with its own purpose.

The main categories of sleep are REM (rapid eye movement) non-REM (NREM) sleep. NREM sleep comes first, and is when the body gradually falls into a deep sleep. It’s during this deep sleep phase that the body replenishes and restores itself. This is followed by REM sleep, which is when dreaming occurs.

On average, adults should spend about 13-23% of the night in deep sleep, and 20-25% in REM sleep. This means for someone sleeping 8 hours a night, around 1–1.5 hours should be deep sleep and 1–2 hours should be REM sleep.

What happens if you don’t get enough sleep?

Lack of sleep doesn’t just make you feel groggy, it can have serious short and long-term effects on your health. Even occasional sleep deprivation can lead to:

Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
Mood swings, irritability or low motivation
Reduced coordination and slower reactions times

Chronic sleep deprivation increases the risk of more serious health issues, including:

Weakened immune system
High blood pressure and heart disease
Weight gain and metabolic issues
Increased risk of anxiety and depression

Getting enough good quality sleep is just as vital as a healthy diet and exercise. Making sleep a priority can have a big impact on your overall health and wellbeing.

Make mental health a priority

Read our top tips for good mental health as an expat

Practical tips to sleep better as an expat

We’ve put together some dos and don’ts on how to sleep better:

DO: Stick to a routine

Establish a consistent schedule, even when adapting to a new country. This helps regulate your body’s internal clock, promoting better sleep.

Sticking to a routine can help your body and mind develop a regular circadian rhythm. Write down a schedule that includes when to start work, take a lunch break, finish for the day, cook dinner and do any other daily essentials, like exercise. You should aim to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends. Sticking to this will make it easier for your body to know when to fall asleep and when to wake up.

DON’T: Use your bed as a workspace

The brain tends to associate different spaces with different thoughts and feelings. If you’re the kind of person who flips open their laptop in bed, you may find that, over time, your brain tends to associate your comfy mattress with the emotions you feel at work – including stress, anxiety and confusion.

This is why it’s important to have separate spaces in your home for work and relaxation – and why you should make sure your bed is strictly for sleeping, not working.

If you can’t sleep do not try to force it. Good sleepers put no effort into sleep whatsoever.

Donn Posner

Sleepwell Associates

DO: Prioritise physical and mental health

Look after your general well-being including regular exercise and mental health care can pay huge dividends when it comes to getting a good night’s sleep.

Research has shown that exercise can help your body to produce melatonin, also known as the sleep hormone. Just make sure you’re exercising in the middle of the day, rather than right before bed, so your body has time to cool down. Mindfulness and general self-care for mental health have also been shown to improve the quality of your sleep.

DON’T: Eat right before bed

It can be tempting to reach into the refrigerator before bed for a mindless snack. But try to resist eating meals or big snacks too close to bedtime – your body will have trouble falling asleep if it is still digesting food, and worse still, you could experience heartburn or indigestion while trying to fall asleep.

Try to resist the call of the coffee machine, too. Limit the amount of caffeine you take per day, and try to limit the number of caffeinated drinks you take after lunchtime.

DON’T: Stay silent

The importance of self-care has never been greater.

So often, all it takes to relieve the tension and anxiety is to talk about your problems. Make sure you do what you can to have regular conversations. Don’t be afraid to share what’s on your mind, and ask people for advice. Their kind words and encouragement could help you to take a load off your mind.

DO: Address sleep issues early

Longer stretches of bad sleep can have a negative impact on both your physical and mental well-being. An ongoing lack of sleep has been closely associated with:

Hypertension
Heart attacks
Strokes
Obesity
Diabetes
Depression and anxiety
Decreased brain function
Memory loss
Weakened immune system
Lower fertility rates
Psychiatric disorders

You should should speak to a professional as early as possible to help identify your sleep problems and find solutions to get the rest that your body needs.

DON’T: Ignore the problem

If you regularly find yourself unable to fall asleep at night, it could be a sign of something more serious. If insomnia has been affecting you for a while, it might be time to speak to a doctor. They may offer you treatments or medications, or look into whether you may have an underlying condition.

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Sleep mythbusters

When it comes to getting a great night’s sleep, there is a lot of misinformation out there. We’ve addressed some popular sleep myths to help you tell fact from fiction.

Sleep myth #1

We need less sleep as we age.

Fact: Somewhat true

Between infancy and adulthood, we start to sleep much less.

A baby aged 6 months needs around 11 hours of sleep per day. As the child grows into a teenager they require around 9 hours of sleep per day. And adults require 7-9 hours of sleep per day, although the quality of sleep might decline with age.

Sleep myth #2

Sleep deprivation can’t affect my health.

Fact: False!

Good quality sleep boosts your mood and immunity, while increasing fertility and libido.

Sleep deprivation, on the other hand, has been linked to long-term mood disorders such as depression and anxiety, as well as type 2 diabetes, increased heart rate and higher blood pressure.

When the University of Surrey’s Sleep Research Centre in the UK studied the effects of reducing sleep by just one hour, the results showed that sleep deprivation affects our genes – approximately 700 of them.

Researchers found an increase in the activity of genes that govern body processes such as inflammation, immune response and stress, and also the genes associated with diabetes and cancer risk. The reverse happened when an hour of sleep was added.

Research by the University of Zurich also found that male students – aged 18 to 28 years – sleeping for 5 hours a night made riskier decisions about money than if they had slept for 8 hours. The research concluded that lack of sleep can lead to an increase in what they call risk-seeking behaviour.

Sleep myth #3

Some people need less sleep than others.

Fact: True

There is no hard and fast rule about the number of hours you should be getting, and the exact number will change according to the individual. But we should all be getting at least the minimum number of hours required for our age.

Sleep should be restorative, leaving you feeling refreshed. On a basic level, if you struggle to wake up in the morning and it takes you a few hours, or several cups of coffee, to feel energised, you’re probably not getting enough sleep.

Patrick Fuller

Sleep Scientist

Sleep myth #4

It’s not about how many hours we get, but how many ‘cycles’.

Fact: Somewhat true

According to sleep coach Nick Littlehales, we sleep in cycles of 90 minutes. Each restorative cycle takes us down into a deep sleep, where we place the day’s memories in our long-term storage, and then up into rapid eye movement sleep (REM), where we begin to process the emotions of the day.

Five cycles is the optimum amount to enable your body to recover, so if you need to get up at 7am you should be aiming to go to sleep at 11.30pm.

Understanding sleep cycles

When we fall asleep, our brain goes through ‘cycles’ of sleep. Each one of these cycles lasts about 90 minutes and fulfils a certain purpose. We should aim to get at least 5 cycles each night.

Here is what each cycle means:

Cycle 1

Falling asleep
The body gradually eases itself into a state of pre-sleep. The mind is still aware of what’s going on in the world, but is slowing down and starting to rest.

Cycle 2

Light sleep
Brain activity increases as the brain creates ‘spindles’. These help to preserve memories. Meanwhile, the body gradually falls into a state of pure sleep.

Cycles 3

Deep sleep
Your brain is now producing delta waves. Your muscle activity drops as you enter deep, restorative sleep.

Cycle 4

REM sleep
REM stands for “rapid eye movement,” which is what your eyes do while you are in this stage of sleep. Your brain becomes more active and you start to dream while in this phase.

Sleep myth #5

A glass of wine before bed helps you sleep.

Fact: False

Alcohol may help you fall asleep but as little as two drinks can cause less restful sleep and lead you to wake up more frequently.

Sleep myth #6

While asleep, your brain goes dormant.

Fact: False

While the body rests during sleep, the brain remains active and still controls many body functions.

In fact, different parts of the brain are highly active during various sleep stages. During deep sleep, the brain supports physical restoration, while REM sleep is especially important for processing emotions and consolidating memories. Rather than shutting down, the brain uses sleep as a time to perform essential maintenance.

Physical activity is incredibly important for physical and mental health

We look at the benefits physical activity has on the body and mind

Quickfire ways to sleep better

No matter where you are in the world, good sleep remains a cornerstone of health and well-being. If you’re having trouble winding down, there are a few simple habits you can build into your daily routine to improve the quality of your sleep.

Here a few top tips to help you always sleep soundly:

Sleep at regular times – your body craves routine, so don’t be tempted to lie in at the weekends, and limit naps during the day to no longer than half an hour.
Wind down before bed – as well as the baths and warm (de-caffeinated) drinks we had as children, it’s important to calm your mind. Try creating a wind-down routine, such as journaling or light reading.
Understand the impact of light – blue light, emitted by phones, tablets and TVs simulates daylight, which causes your body to start waking up. Avoid phones and TVs for an hour or so before bed, and seek daylight in the morning before you turn on your electronic devices.
Build the right environment – in your bedroom, avoid gadgets, bright lights and laptops. Optimise your sleep environment with comfortable bedding, a comfortable mattress and blackout curtains. If you find it hard to sleep in the heat, consider climate control and good air conditioning.
Keep a sleep diary – if you’re still experiencing problems, keep a journal of when you sleep well and when you don’t, taking into account factors such as diet, stress and bedtimes. This could help to identify potential sleep disruptors. If you regularly struggle to fall asleep, you may have insomnia and it’s important that you speak to your doctor.

Access to medical care can vary greatly

Find out which countries have the worst healthcare

How to fall asleep when the usual methods don’t work?

If you regularly struggle to fall asleep, stay asleep, or wake up feeling unrefreshed despite allowing enough time for rest, you might be experiencing insomnia.

Occasional sleeplessness is normal, especially during periods of stress or change. But if sleep problems persist for three or more nights a week, last for several months, and start affecting your daily life, it’s time to speak to a healthcare professional.

If you are diagnosed with insomnia, your medical team may be able to provide you with treatments such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) or sleep medications to help you sleep better.

It’s important to note that insomnia could also be a symptom of an underlying condition such as sleep apnoea, restless leg syndrome, diabetes, asthma, stress, anxiety or depression, so it’s important to seek help if your symptoms persist.

Getting the right support can make a real difference. If you’re living abroad, an international health insurance plan can provide you and your family with access to GP consultations and well-being benefits such as regular health checks, to help ensure you get the best possible medical care while living overseas.

What is health and how does insurance protect it?

Understand more about what international health insurance protects

Prioritise your well-being with William Russell

Knowing you have international health insurance that suits your circumstances and gives you access to the best possible care overseas can give you some much needed peace of mind. But it’s essential to check cover limits carefully, as not all global health insurance plans offer the same benefits.

At William Russell, we offer international health insurance that covers you for everything from minor injuries to long hospital stays. Speak to our award-winning customer service team today to see if our policies could be right for you.

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