The Better Sleep Council examines the often-troubled relationship between sleep and stress.
How many sleepless Sunday nights have you spent worrying about the next day’s work? How often do you look at the clock the night before a trip, afraid to oversleep and miss your early flight? Do you spend more nights counting bills than sheep?
If any of these scenarios sound familiar, rub the sleep out of your eyes and take a closer look at the latest findings from the Better Sleep Council, which leads consumer research and education for the International Sleep Products Association. The BSC conducted this research to generate content for a social media campaign exploring consumers’ views about sleep and stress. These findings were compiled with data from 535 respondents who are U.S. residents ages 18 or older.
The Shocking Truth About Our Sleep Habits
There’s a substantial gap between the amount of sleep we think we need and the sleep we actually get. Only one in four U.S. adults says they sleep at least eight hours per night. Yet 43% of adults say they need at least eight hours of sleep to feel well-rested and energized the next day — and only 45% say they get that amount.
Nearly half of the adult respondents said their sleep quality in the two weeks prior to the survey was only fair (34%)or poor (13%). A measly 7% said their sleep quality was excellent. Another 13% rated their sleep quality as very good and 33% as good. And only one-third of U.S. adults say they frequently wake up feeling refreshed and well-rested. In the survey, 33% of the respondents reported feeling stressed very often (6-14 nights), another 28% often (6-9 nights), 27% barely (1-2 nights) and 12% never. That’s a lot of shut-eye to miss.
Sleep Interrupted: Common Obstacles to Restful Nights
According to the BSC’s research, at least half of U.S. adults often or sometimes experience problems falling or staying asleep. Respondents reported that they very often had difficulty with waking up or being awakened (34%), staying asleep (30%), falling asleep (27%) or waking up in the morning (34%) six to 14 nights over the two weeks leading up to the survey.
What keeps you awake depends on your age. For most respondents, it’s body aches and pains (39%) that come between them and a peaceful sleep. Worrying about relationships and family (35%) and money (33%) also contributes to many sleepless nights, especially for younger adults ages 18-45. Compared with adults 45 and older, younger adults are nearly three times more likely to say stress and worrying about their jobs (35%) stand between them and a good night’s sleep. Younger adults are also twice as likely to say conditions in their sleep environment, such as noise, light and room temperature (31%) interfere with their sleep. Other factors that contribute to a poor night’s sleep include stress over their health (33%), uncomfortable mattresses (18%), anxiety about the news (15%) and snoring partners (12%).
Stress Triggers: What’s Keeping Us Awake at Night?
Once again, age is an essential factor in perceiving and processing stress. One in three adults ages 45 and older report experiencing stress often or very often. Younger adults ages 18-45 are more likely to report feeling stressed more often than older adults. In the two weeks leading up to the survey, 16% of the respondents reported feeling stressed very often (10-14 nights), another 16% often (6-9 nights), 31% sometimes (3-5 nights), 26% rarely (1-2 nights) and a lucky 10% never.
De-Stress to Sleep Better: Proven Strategies for Relaxation
Stress exerts a powerful influence on our lives, but the good news is that it’s not an insurmountable obstacle. There are many activities we can do every day to eliminate stress and contribute to a better night’s sleep. The top ways that U.S. adults reduce or relieve stress are listening to music (60%) and exercising (47%). Ironically, 39% say getting a good night’s sleep is the best way to relieve stress. Other frequently cited stress-reducing techniques, such as spending time with friends (35%), reading (31%), participating in outdoor activities (27%), meditating (21%), artistic and creative activities (19%), and doing yoga (10%).
What Your Mattress Reveals About Your Sleep Habits
Most surveys and research confine their findings to dry data, facts and figures. But for this survey, the BSC dreamed up an intriguing question to gain a deeper understanding of the ways respondents view their relationship with sleep, stress and their bedding: “If your mattress could talk, what would it say about your sleep habits?”
Here’s what their mattresses had to say: “You don’t spend enough time in bed” (23%), “You are a deep sleeper” (29%), “You toss and turn a lot” (56%) and “None of the above” (11%).
While the effects of stress on sleep are well-established, this research from the BSC provides fresh insights into how the sleep products marketplace can create innovations, messaging and branding that resonate with consumers’ mindsets, behaviors and concerns.
Read more Better Sleep Council research: Online vs. In-Store Mattress Shopping: What Consumers Want in 2024.
