Sleeping and eating - the French do it best

PARIS: True to their reputation as leisure-loving gourmets, the French spend more time sleeping and eating than anyone else among the world's wealthy nations, according to a study published yesterday.

The average French person sleeps almost nine hours every night, more than an hour longer than the average Japanese and South Korean, who sleep the least in a survey of 18 members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Despite their siesta habit, Spaniards rank only third in the poll after Americans, who sleep more than 8.5 hours.