Sleep is an essential prerequisite for the HealthBecause while we rest, our body regenerates and repairs itself. But the location is also crucial for our attitude to life. The current city sleep index shows in which cities people sleep best.

Where is the best place to sleep?

The managing director Finn Hänsel, of the German start-up company Vaay, is behind the index. "As a well-being brand promoting mindfulness, balance and good sleep, we wanted to know what factors make good sleep," says Hänsel. Using studies from Harvard University, the WHO and the Sleep Foundation, they compiled a list of 75 major cities around the world and identified nine factors that affect our quality of sleep.

At the top of the ranking? Amsterdam! The Dutch metropolis is not only a good place to live, as many studies have repeatedly shown, but you can obviously also enjoy an excellent night's sleep. By a clear margin, the city ranks first in the Sleep Index 2020.

What factors make us sleep better?

The following factors influence our sleep patterns: Mental and physical health, alcohol, caffeine and nicotine consumption, job stress, personal concerns such as finances or job, chronic pain, environmental factors such as noise, light, etc., sleep duration as well as lack of sleep.

These cities are also good places to sleep

On the basis of these factors and using existing data, it was determined that Vaay the city with the best scores. With an overall score of 100, Amsterdam is the best city to sleep in. In second place was Auckland in New Zealand (total score 96.2) and third place went to Glasgow in Scotland (88.6).

Two Austrian cities also made it into the top 50, with Graz coming in 17th with an overall score of 77.8 and the Austrian capital Vienna coming in 31st with an overall score of 69.2.

Index shows annual development

The City Scarf Index not only shows the status quo, but also which cities will serve as role models in the future. "We definitely plan to run this index every few years or even annually. Population density is increasing, so it will be interesting to see what legislation and changes cities will make," says Finn Hänsel. Other aspects such as the differences in sleep quality in the city and in the countryside could be interesting in future studies. Therefore, rural areas will also be considered in future surveys.

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