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Sleepless Spaniards slam 'late' prime-time TV

George Mills
George Mills - [email protected]
Sleepless Spaniards slam 'late' prime-time TV
Ninety percent of Spain's prime-time shows finish after 11.30pm and 55 percent don't end until after midnight. Photo: Edwart Visser

A Spanish group is urging the country's television channels to move their prime-time shows forward so people can get extra winks at night.

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Spain's National Commission for the Rationalization of Spanish Working Hours (ARHOE) says the country's prime-time television shows are running later and later. 

"Television channels are failing to respect people's schedules," ARHOE argues.

The group have now set up a petition on change.org asking for all prime-time shows to end before 11pm.

This is "so that Spanish television viewers don't have to reduce their hours of sleep, with all the negative consequences that brings", according to the organization.

Ninety percent of Spain's prime-time shows finish after 11.30pm and 55 percent don't end until after midnight, ARHOE says.

The group claims that Spaniards sleep almost an hour less than other Europeans and this increases stress, tiredness and workplace absenteeism.

ARHOE also believes the Spanish lack of sleep increase workplace inefficiency and mean higher school dropout rates.

"We are in crisis and we need extra strength to keep up high levels of commitment and efficiency at work, said ARHOE president Ignacio Buqueras of the campaign.

ARHOE fights for a charge to Spain's unique lifestyle which sees Spaniards working, eating and going to bed far later than their European neighbours.

The group — which supports a healthy work–life balance — was set up in 2003 and boasts the support of several government ministries and a wide range of organizations across the country.

They are also fighting for Spain to take on Greenwich Mean Time, a move which would see it within the same time zone as neighbouring Portugal.  

Quantity of sleep is very difficult to measure.

Figures from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 2009 show Spaniards sleep an average of 514 minutes a day. Among Europeans, only the French sleep more: their total sleep clocks in at 530 minutes a day.   

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