STUDY SAYS MORE ADULTS NOT SLEEPING ENOUGH MOST ADULTS SAID TO NEED SEVEN TO NINE HOURS OF SLEEP

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About 10 percent of adults report not getting enough rest or sleep every day in the past month according to a government study. Nationwide, an estimated 50 to 70 million people suffer from chronic sleep loss and sleep disorders. Sleep loss is associated with health problems, including obesity, depression, and certain risk behaviors, including cigarette smoking, physical inactivity, and heavy drinking. The causes of sleep loss could include busy schedules or shift work; irregular sleep schedules; or lifestyle factors such as heavy family demands, late–night television watching and Internet use, or the use of caffeine and alcohol, according to a 2006 Institute of Medicine report.



This report was a new four-state study published in the (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The National Sleep Foundation reports that most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep each night to feel fully rested while school children aged 5-12 years require 9-11 hours, and adolescents aged 11-17 years require 8.5–9.5 hours each night. An additional study conducted by CDC utilizing data from the National Health Interview Study indicated that across all age groups the percentage of adults who, on average, report sleeping six hours or less has increased from 1985 to 2006.




The study, “Perceived Insufficient Rest or Sleep--Four States, 2006,” analyzed data from CDC′s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey. Among the four states, Delaware, Hawaii, New York, and Rhode Island the percentage of adults who reported not getting enough rest or sleep every day in the past 30 days ranged from 14 percent in Delaware to 8 percent in Hawaii. In addition, the study showed that only one out of three (29.6 percent) adults said they did get enough rest or sleep every day in the past month.




The MMWR report said the definitions of “enough” (sufficient) sleep and “rest,” and responses to the survey question were subjective and were not measured or equated to reports of hours of sleep per night. The report said the analysis cannot be compared directly with studies measuring hours of sleep. The survey question also did not define or distinguish between “rest” and “sleep.”

Perceived Insufficient Rest or Sleep --- Four States, 2006