Why don't you ask me?

AUSTRALIANS go to bed earlier and have the longest hours of beauty sleep, a new global survey on sleep habits has found.

Twenty-four per cent of Australians polled said they went to bed by 10 pm and 31 per cent said they average more than nine hours of sleep a night.

People in Asia burn the midnight oil, sleeping later than most Americans and Europeans and then waking up earlier, according to the survey.

The poll of 14,100 people in 28 countries and regions - from Asia to Europe and the United States - showed 40 per cent of people in Asia only go to sleep after midnight, compared with 34 per cent in the United States and 32 per cent in Europe.

Asia is also the earliest to rise, the survey by market research firm ACNielsen showed, with the Japanese the most deprived of sleep.

"There is evidence all around us that people are pushing back their bed times," said Vicky Santos, executive director of ACNielsen's Singapore office, citing distractions ranging from late night entertainment to all-night shopping and the Internet.

Portugal boasts more night owls than any other country with three-quarters of those polled still up after midnight, the poll, conducted over the Internet in October, showed.

But seven of the top 10 nocturnal places were in Asia - led by Taiwan, where 69 per cent said they only nod off after midnight, the second-highest proportion after Portugal.

Half of the 10 places with the most early-risers were in Asia, led by Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation where 91 per cent said they are out of bed by 7am.

The Japanese had the least sleep, with 41 per cent managing six hours or less each night


I dunno who does these polls but i am never consulted on any of them. I got to check my eyes when i get up from here, no way do i get 9 hrs sleep. Last night, classic example. LOST was on tv at 8.30pm, i lie down on my bed (big mistake) to watch it. The cat comes in spots a moth in my office next door, she starts chasing it going mental....crap i think to myself, the computers are still on, if she jumps up on any of the desks to catch the moth....ggrrrrr too near to the computers; so up i get.
Boot her and the moth out, close the door lie back down. Next thing i know........11.30pm! Fucccccccccccccccccccccccck.....i missed the last half of LOST, lucky i taped it so i finished watching today. I felt like shit....up i get, turn off the computers,turn off the tv, go to the loo.....check on the cat...she's still stalking the bloody moth. Put food in her bowl so she won't wake me at 3 am looking for food.
Back to bed i go. Clock...11.45pm. Next thing....."Mummmmmmmmmmmmm....i can't sleep".....a midnight visit from "A" at 12.20am. So up i get again, put her back to bed, i go back to bed. I wake at 2am to every dog in my street barking. I wonder what poor bastard is getting broke into and hope to god it aint me. I wake to what i think is bright lights at 4.30am, car across the road backing out...ggrrrrrrrr..i am soooooo pissed off......i go back to sleep and wake to "A" jumping on my bed at 5.30am........"morning mum"...."can i make a chocolate milk?" Yes............and i think i better make myself some STRONG coffee...........like hell i get 9 hrs sleep a night!