Sleep & Race in America

Author Studs Terkel called race “the American obsession.” In the U.S. race colors almost everything we do – even sleep.

Today the National Sleep Foundation released the results of the 2010 Sleep in America Poll. It focused on the relationship between sleep and race.

Telephone interviews were conducted with 1,007 adults between the ages of 25 and 60. The sample was equally divided among four groups: Asians, blacks, Hispanics and whites.

Results show that the average reported nightly sleep time on workdays or weekdays was less than seven hours in each group. Blacks had the lowest average of 6.2 hours, and whites had the highest average of 6.9 hours.

About 60 percent of blacks were “short sleepers” who reported sleeping less than seven hours per night during the week. Fifty percent of Hispanics, 41 percent of Asians and 34 percent of whites also were short sleepers.

The AASM reports that individual sleep needs vary from one person to another. But most adults need about seven to eight hours of nightly sleep.

Other surveys also have found that self-reported sleep durations differ by race. A recent analysis of time-use surveys found that African-Americans had higher odds of short sleep. Asians and Hispanics were less likely to be short sleepers. Survey data released by the CDC last year suggested that Hispanics were more likely to be sound sleepers.

Research also has been linking short sleep with health problems such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. Habitual sleep duration may help explain why the rates of these problems can vary widely by race.

The CDC reports that blacks are 51 percent more likely to be obese than whites. Hispanics are 21 percent more likely to be obese than whites.

And last year a study found that blacks had a 78 percent increased risk of obesity related to short sleep. The risk of obesity related to short sleep in whites was increased by 43 percent.

So where do you fit in these statistics? Regardless of your race, are you getting enough sleep?

Maybe you need to make it a priority to get more sleep. Perhaps you can turn off the TV or the computer 30 minutes earlier at night.

Or maybe you have a problem that prevents you from sleeping well. Insomnia. Sleep apnea. Restless legs. Or one of the many other sleep disorders. In this case it may be time for you to contact an AASM-accredited sleep center for help.

Getting enough sleep – and sleeping well – will help you feel, think and perform your best. Maybe sleep should become the new American obsession.

Read about other recent sleep surveys and learn more about sleep and race.

Sleep & Work: The “Worst-Sleeping” Jobs

No one wants to have a bad-paying job. But what about a “bad-sleeping” job? Are employees in some industries more likely to be sleep deprived?

A new study examined the data. The results were published this month in the journal Sleep.

The study involved 66,099 employed workers in the U.S. They answered questions for the National Health Interview Survey between 2004 and 2007.

Participants were asked, “On average, how many hours of sleep do you get in a 24-hour period?” Short sleep duration was defined as six hours of sleep or less in a 24-hour period.

Results show that an estimated 28.4 percent of U.S. workers had a short sleep duration in 2007. This was lower than the rates of short sleep from 2004 to 2006. But comparisons with older data suggest that the average sleep duration has declined among workers over the last two decades.

The rate of short sleep was about 37 percent in people who worked more than one job or more than 40 hours per week. The following were the five “worst-sleeping” industries. They had the highest estimated rates of short sleep duration:

• Management of companies and enterprises (40.5%)
• Transportation and warehousing (37.1%)
• Manufacturing (34.8%)
• Public administration (33.5%)
• Information (31.4%)

These estimates represent more than 10 million workers who reported getting six or fewer hours of daily sleep. The authors reported that people in these industries are likely to perform shift work. Early-morning start times, night shifts and rotating shifts may be a cause of short sleep duration.

What about “good-sleeping” jobs? These industries had the lowest estimated rates of short sleep duration:

• Agriculture, forestry, fishing & hunting (23.1%)
• Education services (26.7%)
• Other services, except public administration (26.9%)
• Real estate, rental & leasing (27.2%)
• Professional, scientific & technical service (27.4%)

The authors estimated that about 40 million U.S. workers sleep less than six hours per day. Chronic sleep deprivation can increase health risks. It also can impair job performance and raise the risk of workplace injuries.

The study was conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The NIOSH is part of the CDC.

Another recent study found that the odds ratio for short sleep was increased by 19 percent in full-time workers. Another study found that women who work full time sleep less than men.

Read more about sleep and work.

Image by Stephen Petit

Gallup Survey: Did You Feel Well Rested Yesterday?

New Gallup-Healthways survey data show that 29 percent of U.S. adults said they did not feel well rested the day before the survey.

The survey involved 700,000 adults who were contacted by phone. It was conducted in 2008 and 2009. Respondents were asked, “Did you feel well rested yesterday?”

Women were more likely than men to report that they did not feel well rested. Rest also was more elusive for young adults, lower-income adults and those with at least one child in the household.

Older adults appeared to be the best rested. Only 19 percent of adults who were 65 years of age and older said they did not feel well rested.

Feeling well rested also was related to overall well-being. Fifty-one percent of people who were well rested considered themselves to be “thriving.” But only 39% of people who did not feel well rested were thriving.

A recent study suggested that your sleep may improve when you retire. Another study reported that working women sleep less than men.

In October the Sleep Education Blog reported on new survey data about the sleep of people in the U.S. In May it took a closer look at time-use survey data.

So what about you? Did you feel well rested yesterday – or today?

If not, maybe you need to make it a priority to get more sleep at night. Or maybe you need to seek help for a sleep disorder.

Get help for an ongoing sleep problem at an AASM-accredited sleep center near you.

Work & Sleep: Are Adults Sleeping Less in the U.S.?

Have adults in the U.S. been getting less sleep over the past three decades? A new study examined time-use surveys to find out. The results were published in the Jan. 1 issue of the journal Sleep.

The study analyzed data from eight time-use surveys. The earliest survey was conducted in 1975. The most recent data came from the 2006 American Time Use Survey.

Surveys were completed by more than 73,000 adults. They were at least 18 years of age. “Short sleep” was defined as less than six hours of sleep, nap or rest in a 24-hour period.

Results show that the overall odds of being a short sleeper have not increased over the past 31 years. The highest proportion of short sleepers was 11.8 percent in the 1998-99 survey. The lowest proportion was 7.5 percent in the 1992-94 survey. The proportion was 9.3 percent in the 2006 survey.

“The assertion that sleep durations have declined drastically in the U.S. population in general over the past 30 years may be inaccurate,” wrote the authors.

But the study did find a significant trend for full-time workers. Their odds ratio for short sleep was increased by 19 percent.

“Longer work times seem to be the most important cofactor for short sleep,” the authors concluded.

Unmarried adults, those with some college education, and African Americans also had higher odds of short sleep. Women, older adults, Asians, Hispanics and married people were less likely to be short sleepers.

The authors noted that the 24-hour time-use surveys split the sleep period. They combined the end of one night of sleep with the beginning of the second night of sleep. Daytime sleep also was added to the total.

And time categorized as “sleep” included activities such as “resting” and “getting up.” Thus the time-use surveys may have overestimated true sleep time.

Dr. Mathias Basner wrote a commentary on the study in the same issue of Sleep. He noted that chronic, partial sleep deprivation remains an important public health issue.

Why do millions of Americans put their health at risk by failing to get enough sleep? One reason may be that short sleepers simply adjust to regular sleep loss.

“Those who do need more sleep simply may have habituated to feeling sleepy,” Basner wrote. “Many of the short sleepers may have ‘forgot­ten’ how well they could feel and perform if they satisfied their individual sleep need.”

In October the Sleep Education Blog reported on new survey data about the sleep of people in the U.S. In May it took a closer look at time-use survey data.

Sleep Across America

Today the CDC released new survey data about the sleep of people in the U.S. It examined the rate of “insufficient rest or sleep” in 2008.

The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System is the world’s largest, ongoing telephone health survey. It collects data on risk behaviors and health conditions. One question on the 2008 survey was, “During the past 30 days, for about how many days have you felt you did not get enough rest or sleep?"

Nearly 404,000 people participated; they were 18 years of age or older.

Results show that about 31 percent were sound sleepers; they reported no days of insufficient rest or sleep in the preceding 30 days.

Who were these sound sleepers? They were more likely to be male, Hispanic, 65 years of age or older, and retired.

The results also suggest that island life promotes sound sleep. The age-adjusted percentage of people who always got enough sleep was highest in: Puerto Rico (51%), Guam (46%), U.S. Virgin Islands (36%) and Hawaii (36%). Louisiana was close behind at 35 percent.

At the other end of the spectrum were the problem sleepers. About 11 percent of respondents never got enough rest or sleep during the past 30 days.

Almost 26 percent of people who reported being unable to work were problem sleepers. Sixteen percent of people who were divorced, widowed or separated also felt that they never got enough sleep.

Southern states had higher percentages of problem sleepers. The age-adjusted percentage of people who never got enough sleep was highest in: West Virginia (19%), Tennessee (15%), Kentucky (14%) and Oklahoma (14%).

Everyone else had varying degrees of insufficient sleep. About 17 percent reported insufficient sleep ranging from 14 to 29 days; about 41 percent had anywhere from one to 13 days during which they did not get enough rest or sleep.

The authors conclude that doctors should ask patients about their sleep during routine office visits. Then they can make needed interventions or referrals to sleep specialists.

You can get help for a sleep problem at one of more than 1,800 AASM-accredited sleep centers near you.

Earlier this year the Sleep Education Blog reported on two other sleep surveys: the American Time Use Survey and the Sleep in America Poll.

Sleep in America: A Closer Look at the Time Use Survey Data

Yesterday, the Sleep Education Blog described a new OECD report. It states that the U.S. ranks second in the world in average daily sleep time. Today, let’s take a closer look at the survey data.

The OECD report states that survey methods may vary to some degree between the 18 participating countries. In the U.S., the American Time Use Survey includes people 15 years of age and older.

The survey is conducted by telephone. Respondents report how long they slept between 4 a.m. on the previous day and 4 a.m. on the day of the survey.

So the survey doesn’t measure a person’s typical sleep duration. And “sleep time” includes both nighttime sleep and daytime naps.

The average self-reported sleep times in the survey vary by age. The 2007 American Time Use Survey shows that teens and older adults get the most sleep. Teens report sleeping about 9.5 hours per day; adults age 65 and up get about 8.9 hours of sleep per day.

People in the U.S. also tend to sleep in on the weekends. The 2007 survey shows that Americans sleep about 9.2 hours on weekend days; this is almost an hour more than the 8.3 hours they report sleeping on weekdays.

But these numbers don’t tell the whole story. The broad strokes of this survey fail to paint an accurate picture of sleep problems in the U.S.

Another survey by the NCHS shows that many U.S. adults get much less sleep on a regular basis. About 21 percent of adults reported that they usually sleep for only six hours; another eight percent usually sleep for less than 6 hours.

The OECD report and the American Time Use Survey also fail to take sleep disorders into account. It is estimated that 50 million to 70 million people in the U.S. suffer from a sleep disorder.

Common disorders such as sleep apnea can ruin your sleep quality. This can impair your health and alertness no matter how many hours of sleep you get.

Sleep Around the World: France Ranks First, U.S. Second

A new OECD report compares 2006 time use surveys from 18 countries. Results show that people in France report getting the most sleep at about 8.8 hours per day.

The U.S. ranks second, just 12 minutes behind at about 8.6 hours of sleep per day. People in Korea and Japan get the least sleep at about 7.8 hours per day.

Why do the French get more sleep than Americans? One reason may be that they work less.

The report indicates that Americans work an average of 41.3 hours per week. People in France work an average of 37.3 hours per week.

A 2007 study in the journal Sleep analyzed data from previous American Time Use Surveys. Results suggest that work time is the strongest indicator of sleep time.

Tomorrow we’ll take a closer look at the survey data. We’ll see what it does and doesn’t tell us about the sleep of people in the U.S.

Image by Mirko Garufi

America is Still Sleeping, More or Less

Today the National Sleep Foundation released the results of its 2009 Sleep in America Poll. It shows how a random sample of 1,000 American adults responded to a survey in the fall.

How are we doing? On average, Americans could use a little more sleep.

Respondents reported sleeping an average of 6.7 hours per night on weekdays for the past two weeks. This is down slightly from the 6.8 hours reported in the 2005 poll.

More people reported sleeping eight or more hours per night than in 2005. But more people also reported sleeping less than six hours nightly.

Individual sleep needs vary from one person to another. But the AASM recommends that most adults need about seven to eight hours of nightly sleep.

In the poll about 55 percent of people reported that they were getting at least seven hours of sleep during the week. On weekends this figure rose to 68 percent.

This is similar to what the CDC has reported. From 2004 to 2006 about 63 percent of U.S. adults reported sleeping for seven to eight hours in a typical 24-hour period.

In the 2009 Sleep in America Poll about 27 percent of people also said that the economy is keeping them awake. Concerns include personal finances, employment and health care.

Studies show that such complaints are common. At any time roughly 30 percent of adults have symptoms of insomnia.

But insomnia causes daytime problems in only about 15 to 20 percent of people. Less than 10 percent of people are likely to have an ongoing, long-term case of insomnia.

So how Americans are sleeping is all over the map. But what about you? In this cloud of numbers, where do you fit?

Maybe you’re one of the people who needs a little more sleep. Perhaps you can turn off the TV or the computer 30 minutes earlier at night. Do you think you would notice a difference if you began to “sleep for seven”?

Or maybe you have a problem that prevents you from sleeping well. Insomnia. Sleep apnea. Restless legs. Or one of the many other sleep disorders. In this case it may be time for you to contact an AASM-accredited sleep center for help.

Tonight, don’t worry about America. Focus on getting the sleep that you need instead.