While 89% of Americans would like to sleep for 7 hours or more each night, only 59% say they're actually sleeping this much
Hit the snooze button one more time this Friday. March 15 is World Sleep Day, but new research from YouGov Omnibus suggests that Americans aren’t getting as much sleep as they would like.
Nearly nine out of ten (89%) Americans say they’d like to be sleeping 7 hours or more every night, but only 59% say that they’re actually getting this much sleep most nights. Four in ten (40%) say they generally don’t wake up feeling well-rested.
Many may be interrupting their sleep by waking up throughout the night due to noise and other disturbances. Roughly half (51%) identify as light sleepers, while an equal number (50%) also say they prefer complete silence as they’re trying to fall asleep.
Women (55%) are more likely than men (46%) to say they’re light sleepers, and they’re also more likely to say they prefer complete silence as they’re trying to sleep (53% vs 48%). Women (45%) are also 10% more likely than men (35%) to disagree with the statement “I generally wake up feeling well rested.”
Another group that’s generally likely to say they don’t wake up feeling well-rested most days: parents. Over four in ten (43%) disagreed that they wake up feeling well-rested, while only 30% agreed. In contrast, 40% of people without children under 18 agreed.
Partners and pets in bed
Over four in ten (42%) Americans say that they sleep better when a partner is in bed with them, while about half this number (22%) disagreed. Married people (56%) were especially likely to agree with this statement. But they’re also more likely (21%) than the general population (15%) to say that their partner takes up more than their fair share of the bed. However, it seems that most are sleeping harmoniously: 54% of married people say that they and their partner generally each take up about half of the bed.
In general, Americans are more keen on having a partner in bed rather than a pet. Only a quarter (25%) of Americans say they sleep better with a pet in bed with them, while 41% disagreed.
Stomach, side, or back sleepers
When asked about how they prefer to sleep, a clear majority (59%) of Americans say that they’re side sleepers. Another 14% prefer to sleep on their stomachs, while 12% are back sleepers. There are some generational differences: while almost a quarter of Millennials (24%) say they prefer sleeping on their stomach, only 15% of Gen X and 8% of Baby Boomers said the same.
According to the Mayo Clinic, the average recommended amount of sleep for an adult is at least seven hours. In order to get a good night’s sleep, they recommend sticking to a sleep schedule, creating a restful environment, and being mindful about eating and drinking before bed.
See full results from this poll here.
YouGov Methodology: Total sample size was 1,288 US adults aged 18+, including 723 women and 565 men, 628 married individuals, 354 millennials (born 1982-1999), 357 people from Generation X (birth year 1965-1981), and 444 Baby Boomers (birth year 1946-1964) surveyed. Interviews were conducted online between March 1st - 4th, 2019.
Image: Getty
