American's Poor Sleep Habits Exposed -- Again

April 11, 2011 - PRLog -- A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) posted in a recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report* reveals disturbing statistics regarding American sleep habits.  Nearly 75,000 adults, in 12 states answered survey questions about sleep schedules, snoring and daytime sleepiness. The results tell us we are sleeping fewer hours and we are very likely to suffer breathing restrictions while we are asleep.  These two factors leave us too sleepy to function well during the day and we are at increasing risk of instant death as a victim of a drowsy driving accident.

Specifically, the survey discovered that 35.3% reported having less than 7 hours of sleep on average during a 24-hour period.  The National Sleep Foundation advises that 7-8 hours a night is the average requirement for optimal health and alertness during the day. Over the last 25 years there has been a substantial increase in the number of Americans getting less than the recommended sleep hours.  Societal factors such as expanding work hours, shift work and increasing exposure to electronic data and entertainment options have been cited as potential causes.

Of the survey respondents, 48.0% reported snoring.  This may be a heralding symptom of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a condition in which the breathing is repeated interrupted during the night.  It can lead to heart disease, stroke, diabetes and early death.  It is more common in people who are obese and it can also lead to increasing weight gain. The National Institutes of Health estimate that 12 million Americans may have OSA, though many remain undiagnosed and hence, untreated.

37.9% of those surveyed reported unintentionally falling asleep during the day at least 1 day in the preceding 30 days.  Excessive daytime sleepiness may be caused by narcolepsy, mental health problems, neurological diseases and medication side effects, among other things.  These causes are far less common, however than the excessive daytime sleepiness that comes from simple sleep deprivation.  The reduced sleep hours and declining sleep quality revealed by the previous findings are more than enough to account for the sleepiness reported by the study participants.

Finally, and perhaps most frightening of all, is that 4.7% reported nodding off or falling asleep while driving in the preceding 30 days.  The editor’s note in the CDC report points out that drowsy driving “has been responsible for an estimated 1,550 fatalities and 40,000 nonfatal injuries annually in the United States.”

There was some variation from state to state in response to some of the survey questions.  Those from Minnesota were more likely to get 7 hours of sleep or more per night.  There were fewer people snoring in California.  Those in Wyoming were not falling asleep during the day as much as people in other states and there were fewer drowsy drivers in Illinois.

The worst survey results overall were from respondents in Hawaii.  There, apparently 44.6% get less than 7 hours of nightly sleep, 54% snore, 43% admit to falling asleep during the day and 6.4% of Hawaiians have nodded off at the wheel in the last 30 days.  So although the 50th state may be the site of many dream vacations it should work on getting a few more dreams in for itself.  If you are going there for your own dream vacation, be particularly aware of the heightened risk of drowsy drivers on the road with you. Sleepiness reduces vigilance while driving, slowing reaction time, and leading to deficits in information processing, which can result in crashes.  Perhaps, a little less luau, a little more shut eye…

*Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report. 2011;60(8):233-238. © 2011 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Full report at the CDC website: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6008a2.htm

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Patty Tucker, PA-C is a sleep coach and consultant. Trained at Stanford University Medical Center she has over 22 years experience treating people with sleep problems. She believes that healthy sleep is key to living up to our full potential.