Nearly 8 in 10 Americans admit they would feel better and more prepared for the day if they had an extra hour of sleep. The Better Sleep Council conducted a survey to explore what sleep-deprived Americans would do if they had the extra hour they lose as Daylight Saving Time begins. Results showed that U.S. adults consistently choose against getting more sleep – even when the opportunity is given to them.

Survey Shows Sleep Loss May Be Self-Inflicted

Even though Americans are in the midst of what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called a national sleep epidemic, U.S. adults consistently choose against getting more sleep. Consider the following:

We love our sleep …

• Most Americans (82%) find one extra hour of sleep at night somewhat or extremely valuable
  • Adults 55+ are less likely than other age groups to find an extra hour of sleep valuable
  • Women find an extra hour of sleep more valuable than men
• Most Americans (79%) would feel better and more prepared for the day with an extra hour of sleep
  •  Adults 55+ are less likely than other age groups to feel this way
  •  More women than men would feel better and more prepared for the day with an extra hour of sleep
• 50% of all Americans say they would feel somewhat or extremely frustrated if they lost an hour of sleep at night and it wasn’t by choice
  • Adults 55+ are less likely than other age groups or the general population to feel this way
  • Women are more likely than men to feel this way
• More than half (55%) of all Americans feel that they do not have enough time in the day
  • Adults 55+ are less likely than other age groups to feel this way
  • Women are more likely than men to feel this way

 … But not more than other activities

• Only 26% of Americans would choose sleep over other activities if they were given an extra hour in the day
  • 18- to 34-year-olds are less likely than all other age groups to use an extra hour to sleep
  • Women are more likely than men to choose an extra hour of sleep over an activity
  • However, of all the respondents who feel they don’t get enough sleep in a day, only 35% of them would choose sleep over another activity during Daylight Saving Time
    • 40% of them would rather relax (13%), have sex (12%), spend time with family/friends (9%) or exercise (6%) than sleep
• Adults who do not work outside of the home are more likely to select sleep over another activity if given an extra hour in a day than those who work full-time or part-time
• About one-third (30%) of all respondents thought an extra hour of sleep a night was worth $100 or more
• About half of adults (49%) do not feel they get enough sleep; however, adults 55+ are less likely than other age groups to feel this way
  • Adults 35-54 are least likely to feel they get enough sleep
  • Adults who work full-time are more likely to feel that they do not get enough sleep; however, they do get as much sleep as other adults on weekdays and more on weekends

When do we get the most sleep?

• Americans 35-54 sleep the least on weekdays
• 65% of Americans get 7 hours or more of sleep on weekends, which is significantly more than on weekdays (48%)
• About three-quarters (73%) of Americans would rather lose an hour of sleep on the weekend (Friday/Saturday/Sunday) than a weekday; Saturday was the top pick (34%). Reasons included:
  • Not a workday; don’t have to work the next day; can sleep in because it’s a weekend (30%)
  • No obligations/least activity; easy day; family day; day of fun; slow day; least effect on this day (22%)
  • Make it up on Sunday; sleep in on Sunday; extra day to adjust (16%)

Survey Details: Conducted in first quarter 2014 with a statistically representative sample of U.S. adults (18+); a sample size of 1,061 yields a confidence interval of 95% +/- 3% .