Americans are not getting enough sleep, according to a new report from The CDC. More than one-third of adults in the US get less than the 'required' 7 hours sleep per night, leading to greater chance for obesity, high blood pressure and other diseases related to the digestion of food into energy. Interestingly it is the laid-back Hawaiians that get the least sleep, but South Dakota has the highest percentage of those getting seven hours of sleep each night, at 71.6%.
“People just aren’t putting sleep on the top of their priority list,” Dr. Anne Wheaton, an epidemiologist at the CDC, told CNN.
“They know they should eat right, get exercise, quit smoking, but sleep just isn’t at the top of their board. And maybe they aren’t aware of the impact sleep can have on your health. It doesn’t just make you sleepy, but it can also affect your health and safety.”
The breakdown of who gets most (and least) sleep is as follows...
On a geographic level, those in South Dakota have the highest percentage of those getting seven hours of sleep each night, at 71.6%, while those laid back Hawaiians living on the islands are getting the least amount, with just 56.1% getting seven hours of slumber. Virginia, Washington D.C. and those in the New England region are getting decent amounts of nighttime regeneration, while people in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, and West Virginia are not getting much slumber.
White Americans are getting the highest level of sleep, at 66.8%, followed by Hispanics with 65.5%, Asians 62.5%, American Indians and Alaska Natives 59.6% and non-Hispanic blacks at 54.2% and Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders at only 53.7%.
Those with college degrees are resting at night seven hours at higher than average numbers, at 71.5%, as do those who are married, at 67.4%, while only 55.7% of those divorced, widowed or separated sleep seven hours.
As The CDC explains:
To promote optimal health and well-being, adults aged 18–60 years are recommended to sleep at least 7 hours each night. Sleeping <7 hours per night is associated with increased risk for obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, stroke, frequent mental distress, and all-cause mortality.
Insufficient sleep impairs cognitive performance, which can increase the likelihood of motor vehicle and other transportation accidents, industrial accidents, medical errors, and loss of work productivity that could affect the wider community.
Perhaps that is why US productivity is so poor?
The solution is entirely untenable... Put The Gadgets down!!
recommended lifestyle changes including going to bed at the same time each night, rising at the same time each morning as well as removing televisions, computers, mobile devices from the bedroom.
Where does your state rank?