How Switzerland Sleeps
In a recent nationwide sleep study in Switzerland, it was revealed that 9/10 Swiss view sleep as an important basis for their own performance. This is an interesting insight as research shows that our performance capacity decreases if we don´t get enough sleep. Two hours of lost sleep can impair your reactivity by 0.5 seconds and make you exhausted 30% earlier than you would have been with sufficient sleep2,3. Luckily for Swiss sleepers, BICO – the leading bedding brand in Switzerland - has always focused on sleep excellence, ever since its founding all the way back in 1861. Recently, BICO celebrated its 160th year anniversary whilst hosting a dealer event in Zurich.
At Hilding Anders, we are truly passionate about the importance of sleep and the crucial role it plays in living a healthy life. Our passion for sleep and wellness serves as the foundation in everything we do. This was one of the underlying reasons why BICO, the Group’s oldest brand, invested in a nationwide study earlier this year to answer one very important question: “How does Switzerland sleep?”
The study showed that the main disturbances of Swiss sleepers are: 1) Tension and 2) Stress. These are two factors that can be prevented by learning more about sleep and the techniques you can use to wind down, whilst also having a mattress that fits the individual’s needs is just as important. 44% of Swiss people sweat or freeze during the night, more than a third of Swiss people feel stressed and 11% even wake up during the night because of pain. Furthermore, for 8 out of 10 Swiss, high quality is crucial when it comes to choosing a mattress.
“It was very interesting for us to go through the study, and it provided us with new insights. What’s good is that we are already addressing most of the pain points revealed in the study in our product development. We will launch a new product this year called “BodyJubilé” which is carefully developed to improve the body’s relaxation whilst laying on the mattress”, commented Toni Haberthür, President of Hilding Anders’ Regional Brands Division and Managing Director of BICO.
BICO was founded in 1861 and is the current market leading bed brand in Switzerland. With a nationwide awareness level of over 80%1, BICO is well known for its high-quality products and ergonomic features. Having designed and constructed a state-of-the-art SleepLab, the team are able to carefully test their entire range in the dimensions of Ergonomics, Bed Climate, Durability and Hygiene.
The findings were communicated on BICO’s dealer event in late August where the brand celebrated its 160th year anniversary.
Toni Haberthür, President Regional Brands Division & Managing Director of BICO
“We are incredibly happy with the event. To be able to celebrate such a special event with so many of our retail partners whilst being able to share the findings of how Switzerland sleeps was truly special. Together with our retail partners we are driven to provide as many people as possible with the best possible sleep and our long heritage and passion for wellbeing is why we focus on constant innovation to create superior products for our customers”, commented Toni Haberthür.
Sources:
1. National Sleep Study conducted by Hilding Anders Switzerland AG together with Market Research Company, Link.
2. Become exhausted more quickly
Azboy O, Kaygisiz Z. Effects of sleep deprivation on cardiorespiratory functions of the runners and volleyball players during rest and exercise. Acta Physiol Hung. 2009 Mar;96(1):29-36. doi: 10.1556/APhysiol.96.2009.1.3. PMID: 19264040.
Taheri M, Arabameri E. The effect of sleep deprivation on choice reaction time and anaerobic power of college student athletes. Asian J Sports Med. 2012 Mar;3(1):15-20. doi: 10.5812/asjsm.34719. PMID: 22461961; PMCID: PMC3307962.