| Getting to sleep | |
| Respondents to the Better Sleep Council survey answered a variety of questions about the role of sleep in their lives. The following question about what people use to fall asleep is eye-opening. | |
| At night, what are your go-to strategies to get some shuteye? | |
| Watch TV | 50% |
| Read a book/magazine | 34% |
| Take a sleep medication | 24% |
| Drink herbal tea/warm milk | 20% |
| Take a bath | 16% |
| There’s no hope | 10% |
| Other | 10% |
| Get a new mattress | 6% |
| Get new bedding | 6% |
Sleep—a waste of time or welcome rest?
Research conducted by the Better Sleep Council shows Americans are conflicted about sleep: A majority of people understand sleep is necessary to recharge, restore and refresh, but their feelings toward sleep are split.
The survey, conducted in April in support of the BSC’s annual “May is Better Sleep Month” campaign, shows that the way sleep is framed influences the way people feel about it. When asked about the importance of sleep, only 2% said sleep was a waste of time. But negative feelings become more prominent when people were told how much of their lives are spent asleep. For example, when told they will spend an average of one-third of their lives sleeping, 15% of respondents felt negatively about the amount of time “wasted” on sleep. When told they will have slept for roughly 20 years by the time they reach age 60, 33% of respondents were dismayed they were “about to waste 20 years” of their lives.
“The research clearly shows that what we understand about sleep versus how we feel about it is polarizing—and that has profound ramifications for how Americans treat the importance of sleep,” says Mary Helen Uusimaki, BSC vice president of marketing and communications. The BSC is the consumer education arm of the International Sleep Products Association. “Spending one-third of your life sleeping is not a negative; it’s a biological need. Those that feel time is being wasted on sleep will be more likely to cheat themselves out of the seven to nine hours they need to make their waking hours more healthy, productive and enjoyable.”
According to the research, millennials are more likely to think spending 20 out of 60 years sleeping is a waste of time (30%), compared with Generation X (23%) and baby boomers (21%).
“Negative attitudes about sleep can be linked to what other experts have concluded—that a primary cause of excessive sleepiness among Americans is self-imposed sleep deprivation,” says BSC health and wellness spokeswoman Terry Cralle, a registered nurse and certified clinical sleep educator. “Health professionals should be concerned that Americans may think of sleep as a waste of time, when in fact, chronic sleep deprivation can lead to serious health issues, including heart disease, obesity, stroke and dementia.”
There is some hope, however, as 33% of respondents had no concerns about spending one-third of their lives sleeping and another 24% felt sleep is necessary to recharge.
“I love sleep—it and I are very good friends and I couldn’t think of a better way to spend one-third of my life than snuggled into my mattress,” one survey respondent said. Another added: “I like sleep. I think it’s refreshing and a worthy cause. Even if I’m not asleep, I prefer to be in bed and cozy anyway.”
