This Is Why Over A Third Of Americans Wake Up In The Middle Of The Night
Do you get 8 hours of sleep a night? In a perfect world, I need about 9 to really function. But these days that’s hard to come by. While 8 used to be the standard many have altered that recommendation to 7 hours. Our friends at MattressNextDay have created and shared with us a sleep report that delves “into the sleep hygiene habits of people in the United States.” Some interesting facts to come out of the report include that Americans average between 6 and 7 hours of sleep per night. So just under the recommended amount. No wonder people seem so cranky all the time! They also delve into the reasons people wake up in the middle of the night.
Another interesting fact is that 22% of people enjoy an “early” bedtime from 10 pm-11 pm. I’m not sure I’d call that early. I personally try to get in bed around 10 but I’m rarely asleep at that point. Not without having just gotten back from a trip in a different time zone, or having worked a very odd schedule lately! And perhaps more surprising, or not depending on how you sleep, is that 50% of people say that wake up at least once or twice during the night. That means there is a good chance you or your partner doesn’t sleep through the night. While I do on occasion I’m lucky (I guess) that it’s not uncommon for me to sleep through the night.
But what are the reasons Americans wake up in the middle of the night? According to MattressNextDay, these are the most common reasons and the percentage of people who experience them:
|
Thirsty for a drink |
36% |
|
Room being too hot |
32% |
|
Bad dream |
24% |
|
Worries about your general to-do list on the following day |
18% |
|
Person you’re sleeping next to waking you up e.g., snoring, kicking, etc |
17% |
|
Randomly thinking about something you forgot to do that day |
17% |
|
Noise outside |
15% |
|
Worries that you’re going to oversleep/miss your alarm |
15% |
|
Electronic devices such as your phone going off e.g., ringing |
13% |
|
Work worries for the following day |
13% |
|
Hunger for something to eat |
12% |
I’d personally think any form of stress or anxiety would be higher up on this list. Work worries at just 13%? Must be nice. Worries about your general to-do list the following day at only 18%? I’m shocked! Do you tend to sleep through the night? Read the full study here.
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