One of the good things about being married is that married people get more sleep at night compared to those who aren’t. According to the latest study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 67% of married people received seven hours of sleep at night, compared to those who were never married, divorced, widowed or separated. The groups received 62% and 56% respectively.
Could this spark more marriages – in order to get more sleep?
Many sleep clinicians recommend at least seven hours of sleep for adults each night; however, the data from the recent survey reveals that most are receiving much less. Per US CDC, 35% of US adults don’t obtain the recommended amount of sleep every night.
Like most things in science, there is a ‘Bell Curve’ to findings. With total sleep time in humans, there is also a Bell Curve distribution of hours of total sleep time that is needed.
While the mean total sleep time of adults is about 8 hours, there is much variance on both sides (or tails) of the curve. Some adults only require 6-7 hours. While others require 9-10. That number is that individuals ‘normal’.
We can attribute these findings to genetics. There is connection between families and total sleep requirements.
The CDC report revealed that people in the southeastern U.S. and the Appalachian region, were tagged to have less sleep than those in other areas, likely because of the high prevalence of obesity and other chronic conditions.
Unemployed people were also found out to have lower sleep duration compared to those who are working.
Suggested sleep habits include setting a consistent time before going to bed and a waking hour, making sure that the bedroom environment is conducive to sleep – quiet, dark, relaxing. Turn off the screen lights –TV, computer, mobile devices or keep them out of the room.
Some clinician suggest maintaining a journal for ten days to track daily habits, including behaviors that may disrupt a sound sleep, if the sleeper is having problems.
Regardless of marital status, insuring adequate total sleep time is well known to improve overall health and performance.
Author: Amabelle Equio, Ph.D candidate in Nursing at Silliman University, Health, Fitness, Medical Writer, Photography Enthusiast.
Edited by ASA Editors/Contributors.
© 2020 American Sleep Association.