Many Americans get too little sleep and have too much stress.
According to a new Gallup poll, 57% of adults say they would feel better if they got more sleep, and 42% said they get “as much sleep as I need.”
These findings have largely reversed over the past decade, Gallup noted in a press release. The last measurement in 2013 found that 56% of Americans were getting the sleep they needed, while 43% were not getting enough sleep.
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But overall, Americans are sleeping less than they have in decades.
In 1942, 59% of Americans got at least 8 hours of sleep each night, but only 3% got 5 hours or less.
A new Gallup poll found that 57% of adults believe they would feel better if they got more sleep. (St. Petersburg)
By 2024, only 25% of Americans will be getting an average of 8 hours of sleep, and 20% will report sleeping 5 hours or less.
The study found that young women were the least likely to be getting enough sleep, with 48% of men reporting getting enough sleep compared to 36% of women.
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According to Gallup, men’s and women’s sleep time showed a “significant decrease from previous measurements in 2013 and 2004,” making it the lowest sleep time of each group ever measured. ing.
This decline was seen across all age groups, but the difference was smallest among young adults ages 18 to 29.
Relationship between stress and sleep
Gallup suggested that increased stress may be causing a decline in sleep quality, as the American Psychological Association reports that there is a “strong association between stress and sleep quality.”
The survey also found that 63% of Americans who said they wanted more sleep “feel stressed frequently.”
A Gallup poll found that women are the most likely to experience frequent stress. (St. Petersburg)
“Over the past 30 years, the number of Americans experiencing stress has steadily increased after plummeting in 2003,” Gallup reported.
“The latest data shows that nearly half of all Americans, 49%, report frequently experiencing stress. This is an increase of 16 percentage points over the past 20 years, compared to previous Gallup trends. It is the best of all.”
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According to Gallup, young women are more likely to experience frequent stress, “14 percentage points more than men their age.”
Dr. Mark Siegel, a professor of clinical medicine at New York University Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, described the relationship between sleep and stress as a “cycle of worry” during an appearance on “America’s Newsroom” on Thursday. I called and acknowledged it.
Dr. Mark Siegel, a professor of clinical medicine at New York University Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, appeared on “America’s Newsroom” Thursday to discuss the relationship between sleep and stress. He pointed out that exposure to blue light from smartphone screens has problems, including making it difficult for people to sleep. (Fox News)
“They’re connected,” he said.
“More stress makes it harder to sleep, and not being able to sleep makes you more stressed.”
Insomnia is often cured with caffeine, but caffeine “interferes with your sleep cycle,” Siegel said, “so all of this can spiral out of control.”
“More stress makes it harder to sleep, and not being able to sleep makes you more stressed.”
Doctors warn that the same goes for drinking alcohol before bed to induce sleep, which can make you fall asleep and wake up in the middle of the night.
Exposure to blue light from smartphone screens can wake you up, Siegel said.
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“These are all very bad for your health,” he said. “It causes heart disease, increases the risk of stroke, and causes weight gain.”
For young women in particular, Siegel said several factors can contribute to sleep deprivation, including social media use, which can be “anxiety-inducing.”
A potential solution to ending the sleep-stress cycle is to practice “sleep hygiene” such as sleeping in a dark room away from your phone, according to one doctor. (St. Petersburg)
A potential solution to the sleep-stress cycle is to practice “sleep hygiene,” such as sleeping in a dark room away from your phone, Siegel suggested.
“I treat stress and insomnia as the same thing,” he said. “That’s why I don’t believe in sleeping pills…You’re just covering up the problem.”
He added, “I want to know why you’re worried and what I can do about it.”
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Dr. Wendy Troxell, a Utah-based sleep expert and senior behavioral scientist at the Rand Corporation, said in an interview with Fox News Digital that stress levels have remained “very high” since the coronavirus pandemic. He said it is continuing.
”[For] It’s no wonder that people juggling multiple demands in this fast-paced world, including young people going to school or starting new jobs, are feeling stressed, which is reflected in an increase in sleep problems. ” she said.
Dr. Wendy Troxell, a senior behavioral scientist at the Rand Corporation, is also the author of Sharing the Covers: Every couple’s Guide to Better Sleep and scientific advisor to sleepfoundation.org. “As a culture, we’ve become more aware of the importance of sleep over the past decade, which is great,” she said. (Diane Baldwin)
Troxell noted that there are examples of sleep deprivation being worn as a “badge of honor” to prove that people are busy or productive.
“But I think that cultural misconception is starting to fade,” she says.
“The reality is that as a culture, we’ve become more aware of the importance of sleep over the past decade, which is great.”
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To break the “vicious cycle” of stress affecting sleep and vice versa, Troxell recommends several things, including maintaining a consistent sleep and wake schedule to keep stress from “invading your life.” provided a hint.
Sleep experts noted that adopting a relaxing routine before bed can also lower stress levels.
These routines include relaxing activities such as deep breathing exercises, cuddling with your partner, writing in a journal, doing gentle yoga, and listening to music.
Relaxing activities before bed include deep breathing exercises, cuddling with your partner, writing in a journal, doing gentle yoga, and listening to music. (St. Petersburg)
“It’s about setting the stage by finding something you can ritualize and do every night…setting aside all the demands and stresses of the day and getting ready to unwind from work.” [going] Go to sleep,” Troxell said.
For people who wake up in the middle of the night due to stress, she advised getting out of bed, doing a calming activity, and then going back to bed.
This technique, called stimulus control, prevents your brain from forming a habit of waking up at a certain time and ruminating stressful thoughts.
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“We all experience stress-related sleep disturbances from time to time, but once it starts happening every night, it becomes a habit,” she said.
“And that’s where we see chronic problems like insomnia. So when you see something like that happening, your brain treats it as a learned habit and stops doing it.” please.”
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