Feeling tired? You’re not the only one. Most animals need sleep, but how do your sleep habits compare to the rest of the animal kingdom? Well, it all depends on the creature.

Dream of spending the day in bed? For koalas it’s hardly a dream. These cuddly critters sleep for around 22 hours a day. By comparison, your pet cat or dog, which always seems to be snoozing, sleeps between 12 and 20 hours daily – not that we’re envious.

On the other end of the spectrum, marine mammals like whales and dolphins never fall asleep at all. The two hemispheres of the brain take turns to rest. When one goes to sleep, the other stays awake, changing every ten minutes, so they can come up to the surface for air.

But what about us? Do most humans really sleep for that mythical eight hours? Well, erm – no.

Sleep habit development app SleepTown found that on average, its users around the globe sleep 7.4 hours every night. The UK is the most well-rested country, with the average Brit clocking 7.7 hours of shut-eye per night. South Koreans, on the other hand, sleep the least – only 6.7 hours of sleep per night – significantly lower than that of its East Asian counterparts including Japan (7.0 hours), Taiwan (7.3 hours) and Hong Kong (7.5 hours).

Despite what you may believe, however, not everyone needs eight hours. Your age can affect how much you need to nap.

The USA’s National Sleep Foundation recommends 14–17 hours of sleep per day for newborns, 9–11 hours for 6–13-year-olds, 7–9 hours for adults over 18 and 7–8 hours for those 65 or older. So, if you feel fully awake and recharged after 7 hours of peaceful slumber, it might be time to rise and shine!

Scientists have found that getting too little sleep puts you at risk of diabetes, obesity, depression, brain damage and a whole host of other health problems, so good sleep habits are one of the most important things you can do to take care of yourself.

Here’s how SleepTown can help. Simply set your bedtime and wake-up time in this sleep reminder app, and put your phone down for the rest of the night. Cute buildings will be constructed during your sleep, but if you pick up your phone before it’s time to wake up, the buildings under construction will collapse! As days go by, watch your sleep cycle become more regular and your own Sleep Town thrive.