By Deepti Hajela and Linley Sanders —
The Associated Press
If you're feeling sleepy or tired as you read this and wish you could get more sleep, you're not alone: A new survey found that most Americans would feel better if they could get more sleep.
For many, however, this possibility is as abstract as dreams themselves.
The Gallup poll, released Monday, found that
57% of Americans would feel better if they could get more sleep
, while only 42% said they got as much sleep as they need.
This is the first time this has happened in a Gallup poll since 2001. In 2013, the last time Americans were asked the same question, the situation was practically reversed: 56% said they got enough sleep and 43% said they didn't. .
Younger women, under 50, were the most likely to say they don't get enough rest.
The survey also asked respondents to indicate how many hours they usually slept per night: only 26% said they slept eight hours or more, which is the amount recommended by experts for mental health and well-being.
Just over half, 53%, reported sleeping between six and seven hours. And 20% said they slept five hours or less, a jump from 14% who reported getting less in 2013.
And to make you even more tired,
in 1942 the vast majority of Americans were sleeping more.
59% said they slept eight or more hours, while 33% slept between six and seven hours. What does that mean?
The reasons are not very clear
The survey doesn't delve into the reasons Americans aren't getting the sleep they need, and since Gallup last asked the question in 2013, there's no data breaking down the particular impact of the past four years and the pandemic era. .
But what's notable, said Sarah Fioroni, a senior researcher at Gallup, is the shift over the past decade toward more Americans thinking they would benefit from more sleep and, in particular, the jump in the number who said they would. They only do it for five hours or less.
“In 1942, the category of five hours or less (of sleep) was hardly heard of,” Fioroni said. “Almost no one said that he slept five hours or less.”
In modern American life, there has also been “this widespread belief that sleep was unnecessary, that it was a period of inactivity in which little or nothing happened and that
it took up time that could be better spent
,” said Joseph Dzierzewski, vice president of research and scientific affairs of the National Sleep Foundation.
According to Dzierzewski, relatively recently the importance of sleep for physical, mental and emotional health has begun to become more common to the general population.
And there is still a long way to go. For some Americans, like Justine Broughal, 31, an event planner with two young children, there aren't enough hours in the day. Therefore, although she recognizes the importance of sleep, it is often overshadowed by other priorities, such as her 4-month-old son, who wakes up at night, or her 3-year-old daughter.
“I love being able to spend time with my kids,” Broughal said. “Part of the advantage of being self-employed is that I have a more flexible schedule, but it certainly often comes at the expense of my own care.”
The cultural background
Why are we awake all the time? One of the most likely reasons for Americans' insomnia is cultural: the long-standing emphasis on industriousness and productivity.
Some of the context is much older than the change documented in the survey. This includes Protestants from European countries who colonized the country, explained Claude Fischer, a professor of sociology at the graduate school of the University of California at Berkeley. His belief system included the idea that working hard and being rewarded with success was proof of divine favor.
“It has been an essential part of American culture for centuries,” he added.
Jennifer Sherman is a witness to this. Over the years, the Washington State University sociology professor who has researched rural communities across the United States said a common theme among people interviewed is the importance of having a strong work ethic. This applies not only to paid work, but also to unpaid work,
such as making sure the house is clean.
One thread that runs through American cultural mythology is the idea of being “individually responsible for creating our own destinies,” he explained. “And that suggests that if you waste too much time, you will be responsible for your own failure.”
“The other side of the coin is enormous disdain for people considered lazy,” he added.
Broughal believes that as parents, his generation is capable of letting go of some expectations. “I prioritize spending time with my children over keeping my house spotless,” she noted.
But with two little ones to take care of, she noted, making peace with a messier house doesn't mean more time to rest: "We spend time as a family until, you know, (my 3-year-old son) goes to bed at eight and then we come back." to get the house ready, right?”
The disadvantages of sleeping more
Although the survey only shows a general change in the last decade, the COVID-19 pandemic may have affected people's sleep patterns.
There is also now talk of “revengeful bedtime procrastination,” in which people postpone sleep and instead scroll through social media or binge-watch shows to manage stress.
Liz Meshel knows this very well. The 30-year-old American is temporarily living in Bulgaria on a research grant, but she also works part-time to make ends meet.
On nights when his work schedule stretches until 10:00 p.m., Meshel enters a cycle of “revengeful procrastination.” She wants time to relax before going to sleep and ends up sacrificing hours of sleep to get it.
“That goes for bedtime, too, when I think, 'Well, I haven't had time for myself during the day, and now it's 10 p.m., so I'm going to feel totally fine and justified watching X number of television episodes, spending time on Instagram,
as a way to decompress
,” he said. “Which will obviously always make the problem worse.”