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Sleepless in America

The politics and perils of chronic sleep problems.

April 20, 2014

Credit: Shooting Star Studio - Shutterstock.com

1. More than half of all Americans aged 13 to 64 have a sleep problem almost every night.

2. Nearly two-thirds of all Americans complain about not getting enough rest during the week.

3. Adults sleep better when given their own bed, according to consistent findings of research studies.

4. On average, adults slept 30 minutes more a night in the deeper stages of sleep when couples were apart.

5. However, when awake, those same couples asserted they had slept better together.

6. Fifty to 70 million Americans suffer from a “chronic disorder of sleep and wakefulness.”

7. Almost 5% of U.S. adults acknowledge nodding off while driving at least once during the previous month.

8. This form of DWD – driving while drowsy — causes 40,000 injuries per year and over 1,500 deaths in the United States.

From Up All Night by Elizabeth Kolbert (New Yorker)

 

 

Takeaways

More than half of all Americans aged 13 to 64 have a sleep problem almost every night.

Americans sleep better alone but claim to get a better sleep with someone else there.

5% of US adults acknowledge nodding off at least once while driving in the previous month.