In the National Sleep Foundation’s 2011 “Sleep in America” poll, 95% of the 1,508 people surveyed reported using some type of electronic device—TV, computer, video game or cell phone—within an hour of bedtime at least a few nights a week.
Poor sleep pervasive
The new poll, released in March, found that 43% of Americans between the ages of 13 and 64 say they rarely or never get a good night’s sleep on weeknights. And 60% say they experience a sleep problem—snoring, waking in the night, waking up too early or not feeling refreshed when they get up in the morning—every day or almost every day.
About two–thirds (63%) of Americans say their sleep needs are not being met during the week. Most say they need about 7½ hours of sleep to feel their best, but actually get about six hours and 55 minutes on average weeknights. Roughly 15% of adults between 19 and 64 and 7% of those 13 to 18 sleep less than six hours.
In exploring the role of technology in poor sleep, the poll found that nearly everyone (95%) is routinely using some type of electronic device within that critical hour before turning in. The survey also identified important generational differences.
About two–thirds of baby boomers (67%) and Generation Xers (63%) and half of Generation Zers (50%) and Yers (49%) watch TV every night or almost every night. Across age groups, roughly six in 10 (61%) say they use their laptops or computers at least a few nights a week within an hour before bed. More than half of Zers (55%) and slightly fewer Yers (47%) say they surf the Internet every night or almost every night within that hour.
Zers (36%) and Yers (28%) are about twice as likely as Xers (15%) and boomers (12%) to say they play a video game within the hour before bedtime at least a few times a week. More than one in 10 (14%) Zers say they do so every night or almost every night before going to sleep.
“This study reveals that light–emitting screens are in heavy use within the pivotal hour before sleep. Invasion of such alerting technologies into the bedroom may contribute to the high proportion of respondents who reported that they routinely get less sleep than they need,” says Dr. Charles Czeisler, a professor of sleep medicine at Harvard Medical School and senior physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s Division of Sleep Medicine in Boston.
There’s a significant age gap in nighttime cell phone use (both texting and talking). More than half of Zers (56%) and nearly half of Yers (42%) say they send, read or receive text messages every night or almost every night in the hour before bed, compared to 15% of Xers and just 5% of baby boomers.
Cell phones also are disturbing sleep, especially among the young. About one in 10 Xers (11%) say they are awakened every night or almost every night by a phone call, text message or email. About one in five Yers (20%) and Zers (18%) say this happens at least a few nights a week.
“Over the past 50 years, we’ve seen how television viewing has grown to be a near constant before bed, and now we are seeing new information technologies such as laptops, cell phones, video games and music devices rapidly gaining the same status,” says Lauren Hale, associate professor of preventive medicine at Stony Brook University Medical Center in Stony Brook, N.Y. “The higher use of these potentially more sleep–disruptive technologies among younger generations may have serious consequences for physical health, cognitive development and other measures of well–being.”
Youngest are sleepiest
The two younger generations are sleepier than the two older groups, the poll revealed.
Zers and Yers report more sleepiness than both boomers and Xers. Those 13 to 18 are the sleepiest of all. Roughly one in five Zers (22%) and Yers (16%) are “sleepy” using a standard clinical assessment tool included in the poll. By comparison, one in 10 Xers (11%) and baby boomers (9%) were assessed as “sleepy.”
Zers sleep an average of seven hours and 26 minutes on weeknights—about an hour and 45 minutes less than the nine hours and 15 minutes recommended by experts for this adolescent group. More than half of those 13 to 18 (54%) say they wake up between 5 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. on weekdays—compared to 45% of Xers and boomers and 24% of Yers.
“As children develop into their teenage years, their bodies are biologically predisposed toward later bedtimes,” says Amy Wolfson, a professor of psychology at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., and an expert on adolescent sleep. “If they are required to get up before 6:30 a.m. to go to school, it’s impossible for teens to get the amount of sleep they need.”
Interestingly, teens and young adults take the most naps. More than half of Zers (53%) and Yers (52%) say they take at least one nap during the work/school week compared to about four in 10 Xers (38%) and boomers (41%).
Effects of sleepiness
Among those whose daily schedules don’t allow for adequate sleep (about one–quarter of all survey participants), it’s their daytime mood that suffers most. When evaluating their day after getting too little sleep, more than eight in 10 (85%) say that it affects their mood. Almost three–quarters (72%) say it affects their family life or home responsibilities and about two–thirds (68%) say it affects their social life.
For those who are employed and don’t get adequate sleep, about three–quarters (74%) of those over 30 say that sleepiness affects their work. About two–thirds (61%) say that their intimate or sexual relations are affected by sleepiness.
Sleepiness also plays a role in unsafe driving practices. Half of Yers (50%) say they have driven while drowsy at least once in the past month. Four in 10 Xers (40%) and about a third of Zers (30%) and boomers (28%) also admit to driving drowsy at least once a month. An alarming number—about one in 10—Xers (12%), Yers (12%) and Zers (8%) say they drive drowsy once or twice a week.
The generations
- Generation Zers – 13–18 years old
- Generation Yers – 19–29 years old
- Generation Xers – 30–45 years old
- Baby boomers – 46–64 years old
Better sleep tips from the Better Sleep Council
The Better Sleep Council, the consumer education arm of the International Sleep Products Association, knows the importance of a good night’s sleep to overall health and well–being. It offers consumers these tips for creating the right environment for sleep:
- Make sleep a priority by keeping a consistent sleeping and waking schedule, including on weekends.
- Create a bedtime routine that is relaxing. Experts recommend reading a book, listening to soothing music or soaking in a hot bath.
- Create a room that is dark, quiet, comfortable and cool for the best possible sleep.
- Evaluate your mattress and pillow to ensure proper comfort and support. If your mattress is 5 to 7 years old, it may be time for a new one. In general, pillows should be replaced every year.
- Keep work materials, computers and televisions out of the bedroom.
- Exercise regularly, but complete workouts at least two hours before bedtime.
- If you sleep with a partner, your mattress should allow each of you enough space to move easily. A queen mattress is ideal for two people sharing a mattress.
- Avoid eating, drinking alcoholic or caffeinated beverages or ingesting nicotine close to bedtime. These can lead to poor sleep, keep you awake or disrupt sleep later in the night.
