70 Statistics About Sleep that will change the way you look at your sleep

The correct amount of regularly timed quality sleep is essential to maintaining sound health. The body requires downtime or sleep to repair and rejuvenate the body to function optimally during activity or wake hours.

We have posted several articles on sleep, and in these articles, we have emphasized the importance of creating the optimum sleep environment where our discussions cited many different sleep statistics.

There are many different reasons for sleep interruptions, sleep deprivation, sleep disorders, and reasons why some people tend to sleep too much. Below is a list of statistics that tackle these very issues, but you should be aware that sleep research can be complex, and much more research and clinical studies need to be undertaken to understand the role of sleep in our lives fully.

The statistics provided below will give you an idea of the importance of quality sleep. You may be able to identify with some statistics which may help you look a little closer at your sleep habits or perhaps give you a reason to arrange a consultation with a sleep specialist.

7 General statistics on how we sleep.

1. A person may experience four to six different sleep cycles in an average sleep period.
2. REM sleep in normal healthy adults only makes up about 20-25% of total sleep.
3. We only spend about two hours a night dreaming.
4. The body's circadian rhythm is regulated in the brain's suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which consists of around 20 000 neurons.
5. Our body temperature falls between one to two-degrees Fahrenheit while we sleep.
6. Metabolism drops by around 15% during NREM sleep.
7. Our heart rate and breathing also slow down while we sleep.

11 Statistics related to insufficient sleep.

1. Adults aged 18 to 64 need 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night, and older adults need 7 to 8 hours in the same period.
2. Almost 50% of Americans say they feel sleepy during the day. This is a common complaint between three and seven days a week.
3. About 35.2% of adults in the United States report sleeping less than 7 hours a night.
4. Hawaii reports that 43% of adults sleep less than 7 hours per night, while South Dakota stands at 26%. These two statistics reflect the highest and lowest percentages.
5. The city of Boulder, Colorado, recorded the lowest percentage of adults who sleep less than 7 hours per night at 24.2%. In contrast, the cities of Camden, New Jersey, and Detroit, Michigan, both recorded the highest percentage at 49.8%.
6. African Americans are twice as likely to report sleeping too little and 60% more likely to sleep too much.
7. Adjusting for age, insufficient sleep by race and ethnicity shows apparent differences with 46.3% of Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders, 45.8% of black people, 40.4% of American Indians/Alaska Natives, 37.5% of Asians, 34.5% of Hispanics, and 33.4% of whites reporting getting less than seven hours of sleep.
8. 31% of adults with no children sleep less than 7 hours per night while in two-parent homes with children, a percentage of 32.7% was recorded, and in single-parent homes with children, the percentage jumps to 42,6% of those who get less than 7 hours of sleep per night.
9. Between 2008 and 2009, 28.4% of working adults reported sleeping six or fewer hours per night, and in the period 2017 to 2018, this percentage rose to 32,6%.
10. More than 44% of blue-collar factory workers report getting 7 hours or less sleep per night.
11. Active-duty service members are 34% more likely to report insufficient sleep than people with no history of military service. 

13 Statistics related to sleep disorders.

1. On average, between 10% and 30% of adults have chronic insomnia.
2. Between 30% and 48% of older adults have insomnia.
3. Women have a 40% higher lifetime risk of suffering from insomnia compared to men.
4. Between 15-30% of males and 10-30% of women meet a broad definition of obstructive sleep apnea (OAS).
5. Under a limited definition, OAS affects 2-9% of adults in the United States.
6. An increase in 10% body weight can equate to a six-fold rise in the risk of OAS.
7. About 9% 0f adults over 40 years old experience central sleep apnea (CSA).
8. Restless leg syndrome (RLS) affects about 5-10% of adults and 2-4% of children.
9. Between 135 000 and 200, 000 people in the U.S have narcolepsy.
10. People who grind their teeth while sleeping apply about 250 pounds of force to their teeth.
11. Up to 66% of people will speak in their sleep, but only 17% recall it happening in the last three months.
12. Over the last year, approximately 5% of children and 1.5% of adults have had an episode of sleepwalking.
13. About 8% of people have experienced sleep paralysis during their life.

9 Statistics related to sleep disruptions.

1. For adults over 40 years old, 69% of men and 76% of women get up to use the bathroom at least once a night.
2. About 16% of full-time workers in the U.S. worked nightshifts in 2017 and 2018.
3. Jet lag affects people when they fly across three or more time zones, with the condition worsening the more time zones that are crossed.
4. Jet lag is worse when you fly eastwards toward the sun instead of westwards with the sun. 
5. About 57% of men and 40% of women in the United States snore.
6. 41% of primary care patients say they have experienced night sweats in the last month.
7. About 60% of people with frequent heartburn say it harms their sleep.
8. Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) makes women at least twice as likely to report insomnia-like symptoms before and during their period.
9. About 50% of pregnant women experience insomnia-like symptoms.

10 Statistics related to sleep in children and teens.

1. Babies need 12-17 hours of sleep each day, and toddlers need about 11-14 hours of sleep per day.
2. Pre-school children should get about 10-13 hours of sleep, and school-age children should get 9-11 hours every night.
3. Premature babies may spend up to 90% of their day asleep. 
4. About 25% of young children experience sleeping problems or excessive daytime sleepiness.
5. Between 13 and 19, the average total sleep per night drops by 40 to 50 minutes.
6. 57.8% of middle school students and 72.7% of high school students get less than the recommended amount of sleep for their age.
7. 83% of middle school and 93% of high schools in the U.S. start at or before 8:30 a.m.
8. Close to 27% of children have minor or infrequent snoring.
9. Approximately half of the children between the ages of 3 and 6 six years old experience nightmares.
10. Almost 70% of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have mild to severe sleep problems.

4 Statistics about the impact of insufficient sleep.

1. Insufficient sleep has an estimated economic impact of over $411 billion each year in the U.S.
2. Drowsy driving is responsible for over 6 000 fatal car crashes each year in the U.S.
3. People who have insomnia are seven times more likely to have work-related accidents than good sleepers.
4. Nurses working 12.5-hour shifts report committing more than three times as many errors than nurses working 8.5-hour shifts.

3 Statistics related to sleep and mental health.

1. About 40% of people who have insomnia may also have underlying mental health issues.
2. Close to75% of adults with depression have insomnia as well.
3. Over 90% of ex-combat soldiers who have PTSD also show insomnia symptoms.

6 Statistics related to sleep hygiene.

1. 78% of people are happier to go to bed if they have fresh-smelling sheets.
2. Across a broad spectrum of the U.S. population, 54.1% of total time in bed is spent sleeping on their side, 37.5% sleeping on their back, and only 7.3% sleeping on their stomach.
3. 93% of people say a comfortable mattress is essential for quality sleep.
4. Among healthy adults, caffeine has a half-life of five hours which means that half of the caffeine consumed will be eliminated from the body within 5 hours.
5. Drinking two servings of alcohol per day for men and one for women decreases sleep quality by 39.2%.
6. 75 minutes of high-intensity exercise or 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week has been associated with reduced daytime sleepiness and improved concentration.

7 Statistics about sleep aids.

1. About 80% of people who use prescription medication experience residual effects like oversleeping, feeling groggy, or having difficulty concentrating the next day.
2. 8.2% of adults say they took medication to help them sleep at least four times in the last week.
3. About 20% of U.S. adults have tried natural sleep remedies for sleep problems over the last year.
4. The sales of melatonin supplements in the U.S. grew from $62M in 2003 to $378M in 2014, increasing 500%.
5. In a study conducted on melatonin supplements sold in stores, 71% were not within 10% of their listed dosage.
6. The market for wearable devices like activity and sleep trackers will reach over $62B in 2021.
7. In a study of adults in the U.S., 28.2% said they used a smartphone app to help keep track of their sleep.