In Case You Haven't Heard…

Abstract

Nearly half of people with below‐average sleep quality rate their mental health as poor, according to a survey released by sleepfoundation.org. The foundation surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults in April and found that those who described their mental health as “below average” reported sleeping less than people who rated their mental health as above average, and when they did slumber, the quality of their sleep was worse. Those in the group with below‐average mental health reported sleeping for nearly an hour less per night than those with above‐average mental health (6.3 hours vs. 7.2 hours). They were also three times as likely to rate their sleep quality as poor or very poor. The survey found that 46% of people with below‐average sleep quality rated their mental health as poor or very poor and were three times as likely to rate it as such compared with those who reported themselves as having average or above‐average mental health. The survey noted that people with anxiety and depression are twice as likely to experience mood changes due to sleep deprivation, and people under age 44 were more likely to identify mental health as the leading cause of their sleeping problems (30% vs. 18% of people over age 45). But on average, people over age 45 slept about 20 minutes less and were more likely to rate their sleep quality as below average.