Sleep in the U.S. - Statistics and Facts

04 Nov, 2024

Sleep Patterns in the U.S.

The sleep characteristics of the populace in the United States have been under investigation for quite some time, and significant differences can be seen in various demographic characteristics and the different regions of this country as well. The general figure for average sleeping hours among Americans is 6.8 hours per day, this data has been more or less constant since the 90’s and the 2000’s, but is over an hour less than that of 1942. In terms of adults who report sleep deprivation, defined as less than 7 hours of sleep a night, data from BRFSS indicates consistency in 2013 and 2022.

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There is also variability among states regarding the distribution of those who do not get enough sleep, with Vermont ranked the lowest for the year 2022 at 30 percent while Hawaii at 46 percent ranked highest. There are geographical variations not just at the national level, but at the county level as well, which are also Southern regions. Also Age matters in hours of sleep needed, children, high school students, adults all have varying sleeping hours and patterns.

Sleep disorders in the population of the U.S. are a significant health issue, affecting about 50 to 70 million people. The problem of Insomnia is relatively common where about 30 to 40% of adults report symptoms while 10% are chronic cases. Women report more incidents of insomnia than men about 25% women and 20% men.

The issue was worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, which raised insomnia rates among health care workers from 44.5% to 64%. Other sleep-related problems like hypersomnia and taking sleeping pills had considerable exposure of about 4%-6% and 8% respectively in the population.

Research shows how the sleep duration has other health implications, where short sleep duration is considered a risk factor for several chronic diseases including obesity, diabetes, heart diseases, and even death. Also, sleep duration varies with age, geographical area, and race/ethnicity, depicting a diverse relationship of sleep and health in the U.S. population, which can be better understood through a detailed medical chronology to track and analyze individual health patterns over time.

Average Sleep Duration According to Their Age Group

As time goes on, the amount of sleep that is necessary for rest changes. Inadequate sleep in the American population has been adequately studied using national surveys in the U.S. based on different age brackets and it discloses trends with age, location, and racial/ethnic groups in history.

Based on the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), which actively looks at the sleeping patterns among American adults aged 18 years and over the recommended hours of sleep for this age group is supposed to be at least seven hours. Still, numerous adults indicate sleeping less. In 2022, the level of report sleep deprivation among adults also differed across states- the states with the least reporting were Vermont with thirty percent while Hawaii recorded 46 percentage of their adult population reporting sleeping less than the recommended hours in the report.

Reports reveal that the average American sleeps about 6.8 hours a night. This figure has been consistent with Gallup circles during the nineties and early 2000. Currently, it has decreased by slightly over an hour since 1942. Presently, of Americans, 59% sleep for seven or more hours at night, a decline from 84% in 1942.

The duration of sleep relates directly with health outcomes. Sleeping less than 7 hours in a day increases the risk of chronic illnesses such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke along with obesity and dementia. In America, more than one third of the population manages to get such amount of sleep in a 24 hour cycle. More than 70 million Americans also have some disorder due to which their sleep duration and sleep quality is affected as well.

These figures emphasize the overall health of individuals across all relevant age groups as being dependent on adequate sleep.

Demographic Variations in Sleep Patterns

Across various populations within the United States, there exist large differences in the amount of time each individual spends asleep as well as the number of such people who claim to go without sleep for an extended period of time. When 6.8 hours a day is considered acceptable for Americans, an average such period has not fluctuated for the last few decades but rather, when compared that figure to at the beginning of the Second World War, Americans averaged 8 hours a day.

However average figures are not entirely correct when establishing trends among populations. Insomnia is a disease on the rise affecting about 30% of the adult US population and approximately 40% of the global adult population, where chronic insomnia is observed in 10%. Insomnia is short-lived in about 30% of the population. Insomnia is also more common in women than with 1 in 4 women reporting insomnia symptoms and only 1 in 5 men suffering the same.

Outcomes of the global pandemic particularly COVID19 has increased insomnia cases in workers with day time duties, that is healthcare workers from a previous 44.5% to 64%. Age enhances the insomnia curse; for a healthy adult, sleep should not be below 6 hours or beyond 8 hours, nonetheless, this is not the case with the American populace. Statistically, only 59% of Americans get the needed sleep steadily, this was rare and only achieved by around 84% of the Americans in the year 1942.

About 32.8% of the American population report that sleeping for 7 or more hours is a luxury unattainable. The practice of sleeping too little is called Sleep deficiency and has been associated with negative health outcomes. This leads to about 50-70 million Americans suffering from a type of sleeping disorder. On the other end of the continuum there exists 4- 6% of the population who suffer from hypersomnia, meaning need excessive sleeping, while chronic long sleeping disorders affect around 2%.

Herein, additionally, it’s recorded that about 8% of all adult Americans take prescribed sleep medications in order to manage their sleeping disorders. Clearly, the data points out just how different regions of America have trouble with sleep or go through their own types of sleeping challenges.

Sleep Disorders – an Overview

Diagnosis and Treatment

Recently, U.S. regulators approved new drugs for the treatment of insomnia, one of the most prevalent sleep disorders. Quviviq (daridorexant), which has been developed by the Swiss pharmaceutical company idorsia, has been authorized by the Food and Drug Administration, and will be available for sale in the US in early May 2023.

This particular drug is notable because of its ability to act quickly and last for several hours, which means people can simply sleep for 7-8 hours without problems and wake up rejuvenated. In addition, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in the UK also endorsed daridorexant to treat long-term insomnia informing that it could improve night time and day time activities by blocking orexins – the sleeping regulatory chemical – within the human body.

One of the other insomnia medication which was found recently safe was Dayvigo (lemborexant) which is expected to be available in a 5 or 10 milligram strength. Yet, even with such new pharmacological agent readily available, the American College of Physicians is still recommending cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) as the primary management for patients having insomnia.

Such patients may be considered for treatment by a medication if mom other management of this type may be unsuccessful, and every time with collaboration between the physician and the patient. While these new medications bring hope to persons with problems of insomnia, the experts warn that pharmacotherapy must not be seen as the answer to such serious sleep disturbances.

Some clinical psychologists recommend cognitive therapy and stress management as more adequate strategies for coping with insomnia. As a result, although there are pharmacological solutions such as Quviviq and Dayvigo, they should be combined with the management of the comprehensive factors which cause these sleeping problems.

Prevalence and Common Disorders

Sleep disorders refer to conditions that affect the duration and quality of sleep and frequency of occurrence over a given period. These disorders are often detrimental to one's mental and physical well-being, as well as their ability to perform activities of daily living. Common sleep disorders in the U.S. may include insomnia, restless legs syndrome, narcolepsy and sleep apnea. insomnia for example can be defined as one which is subjective to an individual who does not find it easy to sleep and stay asleep or feels that they have woken up too early in the morning.

This tired feeling can directly contribute towards negative moods, low levels of energy, unfocused attention, excessive stress levels, and unhappiness. Acute Insomnia, also known as transient insomnia, is often induced by a period of stress or worrying situations that can last up to several weeks. Chronic insomnia as well on the other hand refers to episodes lasting more than 3 months and could be related to medical issues or as a side effect from some forms of drugs.

Restless legs syndrome which is caused by an unpleasant feeling in the legs with an unattended urge to move them particularly at night, is another disorder that greatly affects the quality of sleep among people. Narcolepsy is abnormal excessive sleep during the day alongside instantaneous loss of muscle control, leading to sleep attacks during different types of activities throughout the day. Another condition that can severely affect one health is Sleep apnea, which is defined as the occurrence of repeated breathing pauses while sleeping, which could be consequential in cardiovascular and daytime sleepy episodes.

In most cases, diagnosing sleep disorders is done formally, through specialists who guide patients on the need to log their sleep activities and perform tests which include actigraphy or polysomnography. Polysomnography not only provides detailed insights into brain activity, but also tracks changes in several physical factors, including oxygen saturation and both heart rate and breathing activity, to diagnose and manage sleep problems. When people are treated adequately, they are able to take the rest that is required and boost their wellbeing.

Factors Influencing Sleep

In the United States, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) directed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gathers and expands statistics about sleeping characteristics of adult US citizens aged 18 and over. It is focused on such aspects, such as sleep length, which forms the basis of this study. Respondents are usually requested to give an estimation of how many hours are spent sleeping every day, in a 24 hour duration. For adults, it is recommended to sleep between 7 to 9 hours every day, with those sleeping below 7 hours being considered sleep deficient or for a short duration.

Beginnings are often mentioned as being the most important part of commencement. As people often say, you never get the opportunity to make a first impression again. Demographics though, don’t provide the most favorable evidence in this situation. The figure of people who report lack of sleep in 2022 says more than enough – almost every third resident commented that they don’t get an adequate amount of sleep. State to state dynamics are strange, as Hawaii seems to lead by a whopping number of 46% and residents of Vermont lag with only 30% – a major difference one would say.

Every 3 out of 10 does not sound alarming, and for some, it may even seem normal. But the pharmaceutical industry revolves around the figures as they do characterization of the problem and opportunities – gaps into which they can place a medicine to become the solution to it. Inactionism refers to a civilization that has become so fatigued and bored that it becomes incapable of an aggressive response to any situation, therefore sleeping. In the situation presented, lack of sleep is considered a problem as it has adverse effects on the health of the individual.

Ameri-culture is often defined as the lowest common denominator of eight core cultures, and the patterns that emerge from these eight cultures seem to be applicable universally; but there are exceptions as regions make a culture, while one large area only multiplies the distinct cultures. For public health experts, demolishing the hierarchy of culture, race, and identity will have an adverse effect as these factors are the fundamentals of any individual, and if a regional approach is absent, chaos and emotional distress shall ensue.

Efforts to Improve Sleep

When it comes to addressing sleep problems among children and adolescents, most measures emphasize the need to establish good sleep habits, or what is known as sleep hygiene. These habits are particularly helpful for kids and teens suffering from sleep disorders like insomnia. One such habit which falls also under the area of sleep hygiene is having a structured way of going to bed which could involve taking a warm bath or shower, listening to soft music, drinking chamomile tea, practicing deep breathing or some light stretching. Such activities enable children to relax and get ready for sleep.

A desirable sleep for children and teenagers however is one in which they settle quickly into sleep, remain asleep all night and wake up energetically. Most children go to sleep within twenty minutes of bedtime, although this time may depend on the degree of tiredness and how regularly the child has consistently gone through the bedtime routine. It would be clear by preschool age that Children’s sleep consists of NREM and REM stages of cycles roughly after every 90 minutes. These stages are vital for restoring energy, at tissue repair and releasing growth hormones.

Promoting positive sleep practices in children and adolescents is associated with a number of positive outcomes such as better attention, behavior, mood, learning, memory, quality of life, as well as rest and mental and physical health. Therefore, the development of consistent sleep time behaviors along with teaching the correct sleeping habits should be among the main strategies used in improving sleep in younger populations.

Diagnostic Tools and Therapy

The third edition of The International Classification of Sleep Disorders recognizes insomnia as one of the highly prevalent disorders, affecting 10–30% of adults on a chronic basis, and more on an intermittent basis. The European Insomnia Guideline of 2023 presents new developments in diagnosing insomnia and treating it. Most of the latest diagnostic strategies for treatment of this disorder include comprehensive sleep evaluations that comprise patient history, sleep diary, and polysomnography if needed.

With regards to treatment approaches, advancements in medicine have also introduced new options for instance, orexin receptor antagonists. These are drugs that paralyze the effect of orexin, a brain hormone that stimulates arousal. Recent research indicates two of the orexin inhibitors in wide use, and clinical testing of other related drugs is being carried out. This is a breakthrough in the development of effective therapeutic strategies for people with insomnia.

The Effects of Not Getting Enough Sleep

Poor sleep has also been shown to have myriad negative effects and it is even worse in children and adolescents. Pre-teens who slept less than 9 hours a day had an altered brain structure and had more problems with mood, memory, attention, and other cognitive functions as well as problem solving skills than pre-teens who sufficiently slept. There have been reports that sleep insufficiency is one of the aggravating factors for mental behavioral and developmental disorders among children which stresses on the need for plenty of sleep in the course of brain development.

Children suffering from sleep deprivation are reported to be hyperactive, cranky, impulsive and have short attention spans. In addition to this, loss of sleep also affects health, emotions, performance in school, and driving ability and these factors may also affect educational performance and life skills in the long run. It is already known that sleep helps develop both the mind and body and as such it is of great importance to children.

Furthermore, the lack of sleep among the youth has also been identified as a risk factor to their concentration, learning, and even result in some behavioral problems which affect their social dealings. More specifically, it seems as though the age group of high school students experiences drowsy driving crashes which qualify as unintentional injuries owing to lack of sleep as a cause. These measures indicate the need for sufficient sleep to be encouraged among children and young adults for the enhancement of health of a mental, behavioral, and physical nature.

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