Many Americans are getting too little sleep and are Too much stress.
A new poll from Gallup revealed that 57% of adults “would feel better if they got more sleep,” while 42% said they would get “about as much sleep as they need.”
These findings have almost reversed over the past decade, Gallup said in a press release. The last measurements in 2013 showed that 56% of Americans got the sleep they needed, while 43% did not.
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However, overall, Americans are getting fewer hours of sleep than in previous decades.
In 1942, 59% of Americans were getting eight hours or more of sleep per night, while only 3% were getting five hours or less.
A new survey from Gallup revealed that seventy-five percent of adults said they “would feel better if they got more sleep.” (iStock)
In 2024, only 25% of Americans get an average of eight hours of sleep, and 20% reported sleeping for five or less hours,
According to the study, young women are the least likely to get enough sleep – 36% of women versus 48% of men reported getting enough sleep.
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According to Gallup, the amount of sleep for both men and women saw “significant declines compared to previous readings in 2013 and 2004” — and is the lowest measured for each group to date.
Declines were found across all age groups, although the smallest differences were seen among young adults between the ages of 18 and 29.
stress-sleep connection
Gallup suggested that increases in stress may be exacerbating this declining trend in sleep, as the American Psychological Association reports a “strong relationship between stress and sleep quality.”
The survey revealed that 63% of Americans also reported wanting more sleep.often experience stress,
A Gallup survey found that women are most likely to experience stress frequently. (iStock)
Gallup reported, “Over the past 30 years, the number of Americans feeling stressed has been rising steadily after a steep decline in 2003.”
“The most recent data shows that nearly half of all Americans, 49%, experience frequent stress — an increase of 16 points over the past two decades and the highest level ever in the Gallup trend.”
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Young women are also more likely to experience stress frequently, according to Gallup, “14 points more than men their age.”
Dr. Mark Siegel, a clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, confirmed this connection between sleep and stress during a Thursday appearance, calling it “the cycle of anxiety.” “America’s Newsroom.”
Dr. Mark Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and medical contributor to Fox News, discussed the connection between sleep and stress during a Thursday appearance on “America’s Newsroom.” He said exposure to blue light from smartphone screens, among other issues, could keep people awake. (Fox News)
“They’re connected,” he said.
“If you get more stressed, you don’t get sleep; if you don’t get sleep, you get more stressed.”
“It’s all getting out of control,” Siegel explained, since insomnia is often treated with caffeine — yet caffeine “interferes with your sleep cycle.”
“If you get more stressed, you don’t get sleep; if you don’t get sleep, you get more stressed.”
the same goes for drinking alcohol Before going to bed to induce sleep, which “decreases and you wake up in the middle of the night,” the doctor warns.
Exposure to blue light from smartphone screens can keep people awake, Siegel said.
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“All this is very bad for health,” he said. “It causes heart disease, it increases the risk of stroke, it makes you gain weight.”
For The young woman In particular, their sleep may be disrupted by a number of factors, including social media use, which “can promote anxiety,” Siegel said.
One potential solution to ending the sleep-stress cycle is to practice “sleep hygiene,” which involves sleeping in a dark room away from your cellphone, one doctor said. (iStock)
Siegel suggested that one possible solution to the sleep-stress cycle is to practice “sleep hygiene,” which involves sleeping in a dark room away from your cell phone.
“I consider stress and sleeplessness to be the same thing,” he said. “That’s why I don’t believe in sleeping pills… You’re just hiding the problem.”
He continued, “I want to know why you are concerned and what I can do about this concern.”
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Dr. Wendy Troxel, a Utah-based sleep expert and senior behavioral scientist at the RAND Corporation, told Fox News Digital in an interview that stress levels remain “very high.” covid pandemic,
He said, “For populations juggling many demands in this tumultuous world, including young people attending school or starting new jobs, it is understandable that they are experiencing increased stress, and this “revealing an increase in sleep disturbances.”
Dr. Wendy Troxel, senior behavioral scientist at the RAND Corporation, is also the author of “Sharing the Covers: Every Couple’s Guide to Better Sleep” and a scientific advisor to SleepFoundation.org. “As a culture,” he said, “we have become more aware of the importance of sleep over the last 10 years, which is a good thing.” (Diane Baldwin)
Troxel explained that in some cases, sleep deprivation is worn as a “badge of honor” to prove that people are busy or productive.
“But I think that cultural misconception is starting to go away,” he said.
“The reality is that as a culture, we have become more aware of the importance of sleep over the last 10 years, which is a good thing.”
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To break the “vicious cycle” of stress affecting sleep and vice versa, Troxel offered several suggestions, including maintaining a. consistent sleep and wake schedule To ensure that stress does not “invade your life.”
The sleep expert said incorporating a wind-down routine before bed can also reduce stress levels.
These routines may include relaxing activities such as deep breathing exercises, cuddling with a partner, journaling, doing light yoga, or listening to music.
Wind-down activities before bed might include deep breathing exercises, cuddling with a partner, journaling, doing light yoga, or listening to music. (iStock)
Troxel said, “It’s just about finding something that you can ritualize and do on a nightly basis to set the stage…to put aside all the demands and stress of the day and just relax and sleep.” Might be ready for.”
For people who wake up in the middle of the night due to stress, he recommended getting out of bed, doing a wind-down activity, and then returning to bed.
This technique, called arousal control, prevents the brain from forming a habit of thinking stressful thoughts by waking up at a certain time.
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“We all have stress-related sleep disruptions from time to time, but if it starts happening night after night, it becomes a habit,” he said.
“And this is where we see more chronic problems like insomnia, So, if you notice this happening, consider it a habit your brain is learning – and break it.”
