WASHINGTON, D.C. -- For the first time in Gallup polling since 2001, a majority of U.S. adults, 57%, say they would feel better if they got more sleep, while 42% say they get as much sleep as they need. This is nearly a reversal of the figures last measured in 2013, when 56% of Americans got the sleep they needed and 43% did not.
Americans’ perception that they aren’t getting enough sleep is borne out by the diminished number of hours of sleep they report getting per night.
These differences in average sleep reflect substantial changes over time in the percentage of U.S. adults sleeping eight or more versus five hours or less per night. In 1942, 59% were getting eight-plus hours of sleep, while only 3% reported getting five hours or less. By 1990, the percentage reporting eight or more hours had fallen to 27%, while the proportion getting five or less was up to 14%. Today, a quarter are still getting eight-plus hours, but the percentage getting five or less has risen to 20%.
The latest results are from a Dec. 1-20, 2023, Gallup poll.
Young Women Least Likely to Get Enough Sleep
Women have been consistently less likely than men to report getting enough sleep. The latest poll finds 36% of women versus 48% of men saying they get the sleep they need. Both figures represent significant declines from previous readings in 2013 and 2004 and are the lowest Gallup has measured for each group to date.
Generally, adults 65 and older are more likely than those who are younger to get the sleep they need. This holds true across the trend. That said, the decline this year in getting as much sleep as needed holds for all age groups, though it is less pronounced among young adults, aged 18 to 29. All other groups show declines in excess of 10 percentage points.
Younger women, at 27%, are much less likely than other age-by-gender groups to report getting adequate sleep. Younger men, at 46%, and older women, at 44%, are about equally likely to report getting adequate sleep, while older men, as is typical, are most likely to do so, with 51% getting the sleep they need in 2023.
Given that the percentage of young women getting enough sleep is so much lower than for other groups, the gender gap is much larger among younger than older adults. In 2023, there is a 19-point difference between women and men aged 18 to 49, while the gap between women and men aged 50 and older is seven points.
Younger men show only a modest drop in reporting getting adequate sleep over time, while a growing number of younger women aren’t getting the sleep they need. In 2001, a slight majority of younger men, 54%, reported getting enough sleep, dropping to 46% in 2023. For younger women, 42% reported getting the sleep they need in 2001, while today, only 27% say so.
Americans More Stressed Today Than Three Decades Ago
What might be driving these downward trends in sleep? Research on health and wellness shows a strong connection between stress and sleep quality. According to the American Psychological Association, the relationship between sleep and stress goes both ways -- those who sleep less are more stressed, and those who are more stressed sleep less. Indeed, the new poll shows that 63% of those who report wanting more sleep say they frequently experience stress, compared with 31% of those who get the sleep they need.
Over the past 30 years, the number of Americans who are stressed has been on a steady incline after a sharp drop in 2003. The most recent data show that nearly half of all Americans, 49%, report frequently experiencing stress, up 16 points over the past two decades and the highest in Gallup’s trend to date.
Just as with sleep, there continues to be a gap in stress levels between women and men in the U.S. That gap has fluctuated over time; it was narrowest between 2004 and 2007. However, over the past six years, the gap has grown. In 2023, 53% of women report frequently experiencing stress, compared with 45% of men.
Younger women are the most likely of the four major gender-by-age groups to say they frequently experience stress, exceeding men their age by 14 points. They are also 29 points more likely than women 50 and older to report frequent stress.
Younger women have also experienced the sharpest increase in frequent stress of the four groups, with their levels rising 23 points since 2007, compared with an eight-point increase among older women. By contrast, the levels of reported frequent stress have increased three points among younger men and five points among men 50-plus since 2007.
Implications
Americans are sleeping less and are less satisfied with the amount they sleep. Reports of frequently feeling stressed are also on the rise. Gallup polling and other research show a strong connection between sleep, stress, and overall health. Thus, the impact of both of these trends on Americans’ health could be substantial.
The decline in sleep and the increase in stress levels in the U.S. are consistently worse for younger women than for men and older women. This aligns with Gallup’s data on mental health and wellbeing, which show that younger Americans and women seem to be suffering at greater rates. For example, depression is on the rise for women and younger adults, and women and younger Americans are more likely to evaluate their mental health as fair or poor compared with men and older adults. Furthermore, a recent Walton Family Foundation and Gallup study on Generation Z finds that getting enough sleep and relaxation play an important part in happiness among America’s youth. Gen Z who report having enough time to sleep and relax are twice as likely to say they are happy as those who do not get enough sleep or relaxation.
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