The French are experiencing disturbed nights according to an Opinionway survey for the National Institute of Sleep and Vigilance (INSV), published Tuesday March 10. Sleep problems, which increase health risks, affect more women, young people or those in precarious households.
The French sleep too little and less well than a few years ago. Broadcast a few days before the 26th Sleep Day, Friday March 13, a new survey signed Opinionway for the National Institute of Sleep and Vigilance (INSV)* among a thousand adults aged 18-65, carried out online from December 4 to 16, 2025, gives an overview of the state of sleep in France.
Short nights, increased risks
On average, the French sleep 6 hours 50 minutes during the week and on working days, or 14 minutes less than a year ago, and 7 hours and 48 minutes on weekends and days off, or on the contrary, 10 minutes more.
A quarter of French people even sleep less than 6 hours per night during the week, with increased risks for physical and mental health: cardiovascular diseases, obesity, diabetes, cancer, mood disorders, anxiety, depression, etc., according to specialists.
According to this survey, when they wake up, almost half of the people questioned still feel tired. More than a third of French people (38%) also report sleep problems, starting with insomnia. Poor sleep also increases the risk of accidents (road, work, etc.). However, more than a third of French people (35%) suffer from hypersomnolence, and a quarter of them report at least one episode of drowsy driving in the past year which forced them to stop.
Disturbed biological clock
Among the main disruptors: the lack of natural light is singled out, the primary synchronizer of the biological clock and while 71% of French people spend less than an hour per day outside during the week. At night, nearly one in three French people are also exposed to excessive artificial light, coming from home or outside, which hinders the secretion of melatonin. The presence of screens is also disruptive: more than half of the French people surveyed (and three quarters of 25-34 year olds) sleep with their cell phone on, almost a third with an electronic device running. Noise, especially from outside, is the number one nuisance for more than a third of French people. Finally, the heat is also increasingly disturbing: 81% of French people say that extreme heat has affected their sleep. As for night work, irregular or staggered hours, it leads to more sleep disorders and health repercussions. “Our individual circadian rhythms are strongly influenced by our social rhythms and environments. Many of our habits disrupt sleep, through poor adjustment of our biological clock”warns Doctor Claude Gronfier, research director at the INSERT, specialist in biological rhythms and sleep.
Women, young people, and the precarious, most concerned
Not everyone is equal when it comes to sleep. If genetics explains why we are more “morning” or “evening”, other factors come into play, notably social and territorial inequalities. “The most precarious, women and young adults” are thus more numerous among night workers or working irregular/staggered hours, observes the INSV. People who live in cities, especially 18-24 year olds and residents of the Ile-de-France region, say they are more exposed to noise pollution or heatwaves. And “financially just households often have chronic pathologies, more fragile mental health, insecurity and poorer quality sleep”according to the institute. In women, sleep appears to be less in quantity and quality than in men, mainly due to hormonal variations, mental workload, or even greater exposure to anxiety and depression.
* and the Vinci Autoroutes foundation.
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