More Chinese use smartwatches to battle sleep difficulties

As more Chinese people experience sleeping difficulties, the demand for sleep-monitoring smartwatches saw a 20% surge last year, making the country the most significant market.

According to the 2025 China Sleep Health Survey Report released by the China Sleep Big Data Center, 48.5 percent of adults aged 18 or above in China experience sleep-related difficulties, including issues such as frequent night-time urination, daytime fatigue, early awakening, and difficulty falling asleep.

Meanwhile, a recent report by research firm International Data Corporation (IDC) shows that global shipments of wrist-worn devices dipped by 1.4 percent in 2024; China's market defied the trend, growing by nearly 20 percent to cement its position as the world's largest wearable device consumption market. Huawei, Xiaomi, and Apple are the market leaders.

"I usually stay up late, sometimes till 1:00 or 2:00. I sometimes even stay up all-night to play video games," said a resident.

The trend reflects a broader shift. Around 78 percent of Chinese respondents now use smartwatches or similar devices to track sleep patterns, as revealed by healthcare tech firm ResMed.

"In the past, I used to wake up with a start by the sound of my alarm. And I would feel very tired. The smart watch can wake me up with slight vibrations and wake me up slowly," said the resident.

This sleep watch wearer from Shanghai started using a smartwatch to monitor his sleep quality in 2022.

"At the beginning, I wore both my heart rate belt and the watch to monitor my sleep quality. And they turned out have the same results. But the watch had very detailed data for the durations of deep and light sleep," he said.

For innovation spearheading Huawei, it ranks first in the world with a year-on-year smartwatch shipment increase of 33.6 percent, with a nearly 35 percent market share in China, according to the IDC report.

"I bought a watch at the beginning of the year for my father. It can measure blood pressure and sleep quality, as my father has high blood pressure," said a customer in the store.

More Chinese use smartwatches to battle sleep difficulties

The first Brazil-China Forum on Trade and Tourism was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, gathering around 250 business leaders, government officials, and investors from both countries to explore avenues for strengthened cooperation.

The forum was part of the Brazilian platform TursiMall, which was held from Thursday to Saturday last week. It marked the first dedicated bilateral forum on tourism, commerce, and creative industries, particularly in the film sector.

The event, which featured a series of speakers and panel discussions, was supported by China National Offshore Oil Corporation and China Mobile.

Participants discussed a broad spectrum of topics, with particular emphasis on accelerating a strategic move to promote currency autonomy.

"China has created a synchronicity among the BRICS countries in a way that will make this new form of compensation intensify. As it intensifies, more and more people will be freed from the prison (of the dollar)," said Adair Carneiro, president of the Federation of Foreign Trade Chambers.

Tourism was also a key focus at the forum. Brazil has reciprocated China's visa-free travel policy for Brazilians, aiming to boost bilateral tourism and economic exchange.

Wang Haitao, China's Vice Consul General in Rio de Janeiro, believes this will generate significant economic benefit for both countries.

"Last year, 100,000 Chinese visited Brazil. It was a record even compared to the population of China," said Wang.

The event was expected to generate up to 25 million reais, or about 5 million U.S. dollars, in new business deals, as delegates learned of each other's core industries and market focuses.

Organizers also announced plans to host a Brazilian edition of the Canton Fair, one of the world's largest trade exhibitions, scheduled to take place in Rio in November.

Living up to the forum's stated goal of "generating concrete business opportunities," several agreements were signed by both Chinese and Brazilian business leaders, whose optimism is clearly on the rise.

Inaugural Brazil-China forum on trade, tourism sparks opportunities for cooperation