As the lit windows in houses cast a smoky light on the street, it is time for night owls to perform their daily ritual with their "insomnia kit" -- melatonin gummies, sleep pillow spray, blindfold, etc., and their smartphones or other gadgets to bed. 

As much as they might be exhausted after a long day at work or school, they all share a strong reluctance to fall asleep.

This could well sound familiar to most people of today, especially those born after the 1990s.

According to statistics of major online retailers in China during the mid-year mega-sales period in 2019, purchases of imported insomnia treatment products rose 530% year-on-year, with the market now worth over 300 million yuan ($42.5 million) per annum. 

Research shows the number of post-90s consumers of insomnia treatment products exceeded all other age groups. So, what is stealing their sleep?

Growing up with more reasons to burn the midnight oil

"In 2004, when we were studying the life pattern of students in primary and junior high schools, questions in regard to their sleep were included," explains Sun Hongyan, a research fellow of China Youth & Children Research Center.

According to the study, only 56.9% of the students at that time (mainly post-90s) could sleep for nine hours or more on weekdays, primarily due to concerns over too much homework, followed by other causes such as online activities or video gaming.

Fifteen years later, as the post-90s began to set foot in the workplace, many other things have replaced academic pressure and continue to steal their chance of a decent rest.

In March 2018, China Business Network Data (CBNData) released a report on Chinese consumers' spending on sleep-related products. Statistics from the report showed that one-third of the 170 million post-90s in China suffered from sleep problems, and 68% believed they never got enough sleep.

On Sina Weibo, a major micro-blogging platform in China, "Sleepyhead post-90s" has become a trending topic where young people share their personal reasons for staying up. 

"I don't have the courage to finish today, nor do I have the confidence to start another day," one comment asserts, "I do not have any spare time left to myself every day, so I really want to find some space before falling asleep."

As far as Sun is concerned, the sleep problem of some post-90s is rather by choice. In view of the insomnia treatment, Wang Fang, a physician at the Department of Sleep Medicine of Guang'anmen Hospital in Beijing, noted the young generation tended to attach more importance to this issue, and were willing to try new medical methods and theories. 

Investing in sleep

Compared with their grandparents' generation, post-90s have more faith in medicines and dietary supplements, and their purchase intentions in this field are much stronger. "However, these seemingly nutritious products will do you no good if without any physical exercise," Sun warned.

Wang once had a young patient coming to her with a sleep bracelet. "He was worried because the bracelet tracking showed he was rarely getting any slow-wave sleep." Wang, on the other hand, believed it was inaccurate to make a sleep assessment based on such a device.

In regard to melatonin gummies, a popular dietary supplement among young people to treat insomnia, Wang pointed out that, in the past, they were mainly used to relieve interruptions in the biological rhythm, such as to deal with jet lag. 

"However, as a dietary supplement, melatonin gummies' function is quite limited, and chronic and heavy use is a potential hazard to one's health."

"Healthy sleep" written into Youth Development Plan

As the public concern rises regarding sleep problems, especially those of the young generation, "healthy sleep" has been written into China's Middle- and Long-term Youth Development Plan (2016-2025).

Taking physical health as the key, the plan set the agenda for an improved monitoring system of young people's physical health, encouraging them to form good habits of diet, eye use and sleep.

Nowadays, more and more young people thronging Wang's consulting room would like to seek professional help in learning how to manage their emotions and deal with pressure in an effort to improve sleep quality.

"Compared with the situation in the past when people didn't take sleep problems or mental health very seriously, things have changed a lot," the doctor said.

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