Sleep Statistics and Facts

We may be out for the count and largely unaware of what’s happening around us while we sleep, but our bodies remain busy with myriad biological housekeeping functions. And while most people are well aware that sleep is a cornerstone of health and well-being, it seems that daily life in the 21st century, hustle culture, and jam-packed calendars makes it hard to get the sleep we need. 

At this point, it is almost common knowledge that adults typically need 7 to 9 hours of sleep, but the latest sleep statistics indicate that sleep may be negotiable for most folks. Pulling the covers back a bit further, we find that a concerning percentage of Americans fail to meet those recommended minimums. (1). 

If you’re wondering how your sleep stacks up, here’s a comprehensive overview of what’s what in sleep health facts.

 Sleep Statistics and Facts

As the third pillar of health, sleep ranks right up there with diet and exercise. (7) But when sleep is relegated to an option instead of a requirement, we can all rest assured that the evidence will show up in our physical and mental health. 

Sleep and Health

If you’re like most people, you probably focus on how much sleep you need each night, and that’s never a bad thing. Matching your nightly sleep totals to the requirements for your age group is a great way to take control of your health, as research consistently shows that short sleep never equates to better health.

• Insomnia, a sleep disorder that makes it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep, could be associated with an increased risk of hypertension. (8)
• Short sleep duration may be a valid metric to predict future obesity. (9)
• People with an average sleep time of less than 6 hours per night are 2.5 times more likely to experience poor mental health than those who slept more than 6 hours. (10)
• People with anxiety were five times more likely to experience short sleep duration than their counterparts. (11)
• Up to 75 percent of children and young people with neurological, emotional, behavioral, and intellectual disorders may experience insomnia. In contrast, insomnia prevalence among those following standard developmental patterns is significantly lower (3 percent to 36 percent). (12)
• For adults, short sleep duration (<7 hours per night) has been linked with higher risks of high blood pressure, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. (13) (14) (15)
• For kids, short sleep duration may increase their risk for obesity, poor mental health, impaired cognitive function, and behavioral issues. (13) (9) (16)

It’s important to note that there’s more research needed in some of these areas, and association does not necessarily mean causation. We’ll also add that in addition to the quantity of sleep you get each night, sleep quality should also be on your radar — research shows quality sleep can add years to your life. (17) With high-quality sleep, men could see 4.7 years tacked on to their life expectancy, while women could see a 2.4-year bump.

Sleep and Age

The segment of the population that needs the most sleep is the youngest among us. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), sleep requirement guidelines per every 24-hour cycle are as follows: (18)

• Infants (4 months to 12 months) 12 – 16 hours (including naps)
• Toddlers (1 to 2 years of age) 11 – 14 hours (including naps)
• Preschoolers (3 to 5 years of age)  10 – 13 hours (including naps)
• School Age Kids/Tweens (6 to 12 years of age)  9 – 12 hours 
• Teens (13 to 18 years of age)  8 – 10 hours 

Kids and Sleep 

These guidelines are largely accepted, but sleep statistics consistently show that as many as one-third of Americans, including children, don’t meet their daily requirements. (19)

Data from the 2015 national and state Youth Risk Behavior Surveys, which included over 15,000 students, revealed: (20)

• 57.8  percent of middle school students (grades 6-8) report that they don’t get enough sleep on school nights.
• 72.7 percent of high school students (grades 9-12) report that they don’t get enough sleep on school nights.

Adults and Sleep 

While many people mistakenly think sleep requirements change (with age), it’s more like age changes how we sleep. The AASM suggests 7 to 9 hours for those aged 18 and older, and that recommendation remains constant. However, sleep and aging don’t always mix as well as we’d like. 
Healthy older adults may often find that the quality and duration of their sleep begin to deteriorate as a result of changes to their sleep architecture (the general structure of sleep cycles) with less time in deep sleep), shifts in their circadian rhythm, more daytime naps, and frequent nighttime wakings. (21)

Sleep and Gender

According to sleep statistics, men and women significantly differ in sleep patterns.

• Women are more sleep-deprived than men, due to fluctuating hormones across their lifetime, higher rates of depression, and bearing the brunt of childcare responsibilities and emotional labor for their families. (22) (23) (24)
• Men tend to have later chronotypes, preferring to go to bed and wake up later than women. (25)
• Women sleep 25 minutes longer, enter REM sleep earlier, and get somewhere around 10 minutes more REM sleep than men each night. (26)
• The prevalence of frequent insomnia was higher among women (16 percent) than men (11 percent). (27)
• Melatonin (the hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles and circadian rhythms) is secreted earlier in women than in men. (25)
• Women enjoy better sleep quality than their male counterparts. However, their sleep tends to worsen with age. (28)
• Sleep architecture (the general structure of sleep cycles) changes for women in every phase of their menstrual cycle — increased sleep latency, more night-time wakings, and poorer sleep quality during the luteal phase are not uncommon. (23)
• Women tend to be more prone to sleep disorders, such as restless leg syndrome and insomnia.  (29)
• Men are three times more likely to be diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea, while women are twice as likely to have insomnia. (25) (30)
• Women’s circadian rhythms run shorter than men’s by around six minutes. (25)

Sleep Habits

When it comes to sleep, knowing what you should do to safeguard your sleep is one thing — following through night after night is another. In recent years, Phillips and Fitbit have done some pretty deep dives into sleep statistics worldwide; here’s what they reported. 

Global sleep health facts:  (4)

• While people generally understand sleep’s role in their overall health, 62 percent say they sleep somewhat/not at all well, while only 10 percent say they sleep exceptionally well. 
• Instead of consistently getting their recommended eight hours of sleep each night, adults worldwide log 6.8 hours of sleep per night during the week and 7.8 hours per weekend night. 
• 63 percent of adults use the weekend to catch up on sleep. 
• Worldwide, 6 in 10 adults said they experienced daytime sleepiness at least twice per week.
• Over 40 percent of people say their sleep has worsened over the last five years, while 25 percent say it has improved. 
• 75 percent of adults say they have experienced insomnia, snoring, shift work sleep disorder, or chronic pain.
• When researching how to improve their sleep or learning about sleep treatments, an overwhelming majority of people (62 percent) say they trust online information sources over physicians (21 percent) or sleep specialists (14 percent). 
• 35 percent of women indicated they’ve slept apart from their spouse or bedmate due to snoring. 
• 20 percent of adults report sleeping with their pet in the bed.

American sleep health facts: (26)

• The average American goes to bed at 11:21 p.m.
• Northerners go to bed five minutes earlier than Southerners.
• East Coasters stay up seven minutes later than their West Coast counterparts. 
• The most important contributing factor to sleep quality is consistent bedtimes. 
• Boston leads the way for social jetlag (inconsistent bedtimes), while Las Vegas is the most consistent with bedtimes.

Sleep Deprivation and Insomnia Statistics

Insomnia is characterized by difficulty falling asleep, maintaining sleep, or short sleep (despite ample opportunity to do so) three nights a week for at least three months. (31) Tiredness and irritability are some of the most common negative impacts of insomnia, and those who suffer from prolonged bouts of insomnia (insufficient quality sleep) may develop sleep deprivation, which has a profound effect on their health and well-being.

• Insomnia statistics show that it’s the most commonly reported sleep issue, affecting at least 10 percent of adults in the United States. (31)
• Tiredness, lack of energy, difficulty concentrating, and irritability are some of the most negative consequences of insomnia. (31)
• Two main risk factors of insomnia are advanced age and female gender. (31)
• 10 to 15 percent of those with insomnia indicate they have impaired daytime functioning. (32)
• Sleep deprivation statistics reveal that 50 to 70 million Americans suffer from some form of sleep loss. (31)

Side effects of short-term sleep deprivation include: (31)

• Daytime sleepiness 
• Lack of alertness
• Moodiness and irritability 
• Fatigue
• Impaired memory 
• Poor work or academic performance 
• Increased risk of motor vehicle accidents

Side effects of long-term sleep deprivation include: (31)

• Obesity
• High blood pressure 
• Diabetes
• Heart attack 
• Heart disease
• Stroke

Sleep Disorder Statistics and Facts

Sleep disorders come in all forms, but the common denominators they all share are poor sleep quality and short sleep. 

Most Common Sleep Disorders

Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) (33)

• Also known as Willis-Ekbom Disease, RLS is a neurological disorder that causes a bubbling, tingling, or crawling sensation under the skin, leaving the person with an irresistible urge to move their legs. 
• Symptoms of RLS typically occur in the late evening and peak at night when you’re trying to sleep.
• Up to 10 percent of US adults suffer from restless leg syndrome (RLS).
• RLS can cause daytime fatigue, impaired memory, anxiety, and depression. 
• The exact cause of RLS is unknown, but one working theory is that it’s caused by an iron deficiency in the brain. 
• Research shows that RLS tends to run in families.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (34)

• Obstructive sleep apnea is a sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep. 
• It’s estimated that as many as 1 billion people worldwide (aged 30-65 years) are affected by OSA.
• Depending on the severity of OSA, some people may experience pauses in their breathing hundreds of times each night.
• Research indicates that as much as 80 percent of sleep apnea cases remain undiagnosed. (40)
• The most common symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea are snoring, sleep fragmentation, excessive daytime tiredness, irritability, and cognitive impairments.
• Risk factors for OSA include obesity, advanced age, gender (men are more prone to OSA), large neck size, alcohol use, and menopause.
• Men are twice as likely to experience sleep apnea than women. (40)
• Continuous Positive Air Pressure (CPAP) is the gold standard for OSA treatment, but long-term compliance is an issue, with many people giving up treatment after the third month. (41)

Narcolepsy (42)

• Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder in which people experience sudden episodes of deep sleep.
• Only about 25 percent of those with narcolepsy have been diagnosed and are currently receiving treatment. (43)
• Excessive daytime sleepiness, cataplexy (a sudden loss of muscle tone or sudden muscle weakness triggered by a strong emotional response, i.e., fear, excitement, anger, or stress), and hallucinations are common symptoms of narcolepsy. 
• There are two types of narcolepsy: Type 1 and Type 2, narcolepsy with and without cataplexy, respectively.
• Half of patients with narcolepsy develop symptoms in adolescence. (44) 
• There is no cure for narcolepsy.
• As many as 60 percent of those with narcolepsy are misdiagnosed, with depression diagnoses being the most common. (43)

Parasomnias

• Parasomnia is an umbrella term that refers to a group of unusual behaviors people experience either before falling asleep, while they’re sleeping, or upon waking from sleep. 
• Some of the most common parasomnias are sleepwalking, night terrors, sleep paralysis, sleep talking, and REM sleep behavior disorder. 
• Sleep paralysis is a rapid eye movement disorder in which a person becomes conscious while their body is still in a state of muscle atonia (paralysis). (38)
• As much as 8 percent of the general population may experience sleep paralysis, and the condition is more prevalent in non-white populations. (38)
• Sleepwalking (also known as somnambulism) affects approximately 4 percent of the population and is the leading cause of violence towards oneself or others during sleep. (39) 
• Night terrors are often confused with nightmares, but the two are quite different. Those experiencing nightmares are easy to wake and usually remember the event, whereas people who experience night terrors typically sit upright in bed and scream in terror, with no memory of the event upon waking. (45) Up to 85 percent of adults report having a nightmare at least once a year, while night terrors are rare beyond childhood. (46) (47)

Facts About the Sleep Market

Ask anyone how much time we spend sleeping, and they’ll likely tell you that we spend a third of our daily lives doing so. However, the actual statistic is that we spend a third of our lives “sleeping or attempting to do so.” (5) That latter part of this factoid means that sleep is big business. 

• In 2022, the global sleep market was valued at $512.80 billion, with North America accounting for 32 percent of that amount. (48)
• Forecasters expect a 6.3 percent growth in the sleep industry by 2032. (48)
• The sleep industry is divided into soft solutions (sleep-monitoring devices, designer mattresses, and pillows) and hard solutions (consumables, pills, powders, and beverages). (48)
• With 30 million Americans dealing with sleep apnea, it understandably accounted for the largest revenue share of the sleep market in 2022. (48)
• Sleep tech accounted for the lion’s share of the sleep market revenue in 2022 and is expected to grow by 7 percent by 2032. (48)
• Women are more likely than men to lean into sleep aids and the sleep economy (5 percent vs. 3 percent, respectively) (48)
• Insufficient sleep costs US businesses $411B each year. (49)

The Last Word From Sleepopolis 

Most people know that sleep is crucial to their overall health and well-being, but meeting those daily requirements is sometimes easier said than done. And while a sleepless night here and there is no cause for concern, prolonged periods of short sleep can profoundly impact your physical and mental health. If you’re one of the 35 percent who don’t get enough sleep, you might consider speaking with your doctor to get to the bottom of it and get back to sleep.

Sources

Sharon Brandwein

Sharon Brandwein is a Certified Sleep Science Coach and a freelance writer. She specializes in health and beauty, parenting, and of course, all things sleep. Sharon’s work has also appeared on ABC News, USAToday, and Forbes. When she’s not busy writing, you might find her somewhere curating a wardrobe for her puppy.