March 15, 2024, 9:21 am | Read time: 3 minutes
A healthy person needs an average of eight hours of sleep per day. However, not all sleep is the same. Especially for those who don’t sleep deeply, optimal conditions are necessary to wake up refreshed the next morning. It’s clear that you can sleep particularly undisturbed in the countryside. But in which European capital do people actually sleep the best? TRAVELBOOK reveals it to you.
Blinking lights, loud noises–there are many things that can disrupt our sleep, especially in the city. In capitals, in particular, there’s usually 24-hour hustle and bustle, which is why New York is known as the “city that never sleeps.” But in which city does one sleep particularly well? The British bedroom furniture manufacturer “online bedrooms” has determined the best European city for sleeping in a study–the winner might actually surprise you.
Berlin is the best European city for sleeping
Both on vacation and at home, location can have a massive impact on sleep habits. Across Europe, factors such as light pollution, sunlight, noise pollution, and a low level of optimal sleep make some cities less suitable for sleeping than others. The results show that Berlin is the best European city for sleeping. In the German capital, nighttime noise pollution from cars is particularly low, and the sun is obscured by clouds on almost 80% of the days, ensuring optimal sleep.
Rome, on the other hand, ranks as the worst capital for sleeping in Europe, as both light pollution and noise pollution are particularly high there. On average, only 68.5% of Rome’s residents achieve the recommended amount of sleep.
The 20 European cities with the highest quality of life
The Best Travel Destinations in the World for Those Seeking Peace and Quiet
The European Sleep Index
Sleep Index Methodology
TRAVELBOOK inquired with “online bedrooms” about the basis on which the points were awarded that determine the ranking order. We were particularly interested in whether some factors were weighted more heavily than others. Because although Berlin was chosen as the most sleep-friendly city, some cities like Oslo or London had a higher percentage of residents who received the optimal amount of sleep.
We then received the response that in this index, none of the four factors (light pollution, average number of cloudy days, noise pollution, and percentage of people who can sleep optimally) was weighted more heavily than another. Each city received a nominal score for all four factors, which were added together to form a final ranking.
For example, each city received a score from 1 to 12 for the “light pollution” factor. Twelve points were awarded to the country with the least light pollution, as this promotes better sleep; the country with the highest light pollution received a score of 1, as sleep is most disturbed there. After this was completed for all four factors, the scores for all cities were added. This resulted in the “total score” for all cities. Berlin won the title of the best European city for sleeping with a total score of 40.