Sleep Observatory: the figures (2026)

The French sleep poorly, and noise has a lot to do with it. Here we bring together the most reliable public data on sleep and night-time noise, sourced and kept up to date.

Updated: October 2026.

French sleep in figures

  • 73% of French people say they wake up during the night, on average twice, for 28 minutes in total (INSV / OpinionWay, 2025).
  • 45% report at least one sleep disorder, including 21% with insomnia (INSV, 2025).
  • 34% of Île-de-France residents say they struggle to fall asleep because of noise (Crédoc / Bruitparif, 2021).
  • 7 hrs 04 min of sleep on average on weekdays (INSV / OpinionWay, 2025).
  • Around 8 million Île-de-France residents are exposed at night to road noise above the levels recommended by the WHO (Bruitparif / SOMNIBRUIT, 2025).
  • Only 46% say they are satisfied with their sleep (INSV / OpinionWay, 2025).

Night-time waking: the norm, not the exception

Nearly three in four French people wake up during the night. These micro-awakenings fragment sleep and weigh on recovery, even when the night seems long enough.

Read more: Light sleep: why the slightest noise wakes you.

Noise, the enemy of sleep

A third of city dwellers struggle to fall asleep because of noise, and millions of people sleep under a night-time sound level above health recommendations. Noise doesn't only stop you falling asleep: it triggers awakenings you don't always remember.

Read more: Does noise really harm sleep health?

We sleep badly, and we know it

Fewer than one French person in two says they're satisfied with their sleep. The gap between the sleep we'd like and the sleep we get stays wide, especially among people exposed to noise.

Read more: How to sleep well despite noise.

Methodology and sources

Aggregated public data, cited as published by their authors:

  • INSV / OpinionWay, survey on French people's sleep, 2025.
  • Bruitparif, SOMNIBRUIT study, 2025; Crédoc survey for Bruitparif, 2021.

Coming soon: the MUTELY Barometer of couples' sleep (proprietary data).

MUTELY is a French brand acting on a concrete cause of poor sleep: night-time noise. Our Core earplugs soften ambient noise for more continuous nights.

The MUTELY Team