Study Says: When Americans Doze Off And Other Sleep Habits

Sleep and the fact that many of us don’t get enough of it is a popular topic, and new research may have uncovered why we’re sleep-deprived. It asks Americans about their nighttime routines, bedtimes and sleep habits, giving us insight into why we’re tired all the time.

According to the survey of 2-thousand U.S. adults, the average American falls asleep at 11:18 p.m.

• But there’s a lot happening before we climb into bed, with the average person starting their nighttime routine at 10:15 p.m.
• That pre-bed prep takes 21 minutes, on average, so they’re all tucked in by 10:36 p.m.
• The thing is, very few actually start snoozing right away. It takes around 40 minutes for the average person to drift off, which gets us to that 11:18 sleep time.
• And some stay up later than planned, often to finish up chores or things they need to take care of (29%), or because night is their favorite time of day (21%).
• Some respondents admit they just don’t want to go to sleep and “fast forward” to the next workday (15%), while others stay up late because it’s the only time they can connect with their partner (13%).
• But those late nights take a toll, and people have three mornings a week when they wake up wishing they’d gone to bed earlier the night before.
• Among those who share a bed with their partner, only half (49%) say they sleep better with their significant other next to them.
• One in seven (14%) say they sleep worse with their partner, mostly because of them snoring (63%).
• Partners also disrupt sleep by waking them up in the night by tossing and turning or going to the bathroom (52%), or by having a different nighttime routine (26%).
• Parents of school-age kids also say they get less sleep when their kids go back to school.
• More than half (53%) lose sleep because they have to wake up earlier, while a quarter say they’ll go to sleep later so they can make lunches and help with homework.
• And for 11%, the lack of sleep comes from worrying more about their child returning to school.

Source: Talker

Speaking of sleep...

Sleeping too much? We hear a lot about the harmful effects of not getting enough sleep. But it seems getting too much sleep is bad for you as well. In fact, it’s even worse than sleeping too little. Researchers at the National Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute analyzed data from nearly 90,000 adults and discovered that both short sleep durations (less than seven hours) and long sleep durations (more than nine hours) were linked to higher mortality rates compared to those who slept seven to eight hours. Those who didn’t get enough sleep had a 14% increase in death risk. However, those who slept too long had a 34% increased risk. Poor sleep quality was linked to 172 diseases, including Parkinson’s, type 2 diabetes, and kidney failure.

Scott's Thoughts:

• Are you a night owl trapped in an early bird world? How do you make it work?
• I sleep earlier and wake up early Yes i fall asleep fast, but wake up generally 2 times a night for bathroom and sometimes have trouble going back to sleep.
• I play brown noise on my smart speaker. Helps me and I have trouble sleeping without it.
• I sleep better next to Jane. Even though she snores. Don't tell her I said that. :)