Stressed workers use singing bowls to sleep

culture is A high-stress, high-pressure pushing many youngsters to 'lie flat'

• 300 million Chinese people are estimated to suffer from insomnia due to high stress

It's just after midday in a quiet studio in Beijing, and Xuan Yi is finally getting the deep sleep she's craved for months.

Xuan is one of an estimated 300 million Chinese people suffering from insomnia, the product of a high-stress, high-pressure culture that has left many young people choosing to "lie flat" instead. She tried everything, she tells AFP-from psychological counselling to essential oils. "I had a lot of work pressure. I could not go to bed before 2 or 3 am and had to get up at 7 am to start work," she says. "I also worked weekends, and my sleep was not very good for a long time."

But when the curtains close and the singing bowls start humming at healer Li Yan's studio, she can finally drift off.