Survey: Americans Crave Sleep More Than Sex

Americans are so desperate for slumber that they prefer sleep over sex. And they’re so tired that they find themselves nodding off in strange places. The Better Sleep Council conducted a survey to find out what’s going on between the sheets.

Survey Finds Americans Willing to Sacrifice to Get a Good Night’s Sleep

Many Americans are so tired they prefer sleep to sex and find themselves falling asleep at all the wrong times.

Sleep wins out over sex

Sleep is the activity most people now long for the most in bed.

6 in 10 Americans crave sleep more than sex
Some admit to falling asleep during sex
58% of men crave sex (over sleep) compared to women ( 21%)
79% of women crave sleep (over sex) compared to men (42%)

Sleep starvation leads to sleeping around

Americans are so tired that they don’t even need to be in bed to sleep.

45% of Americans fall asleep some place other than their mattress once a week or more
One-third of Americans are “sleeping around” (sleeping someplace other than their own mattress) more than once a week; 1 in 10 does so each day
67% of Americans admit to falling asleep in other places every few weeks
14% of men nod off or fall asleep somewhere other than their bed each day, compared to 8% of women

Americans find sleep in strange places

People are so tired they are falling asleep anytime and anywhere.

12% have dozed off at work (double this if you include students)
10% have fallen asleep at school
7% of Americans nod off in church
7% admit to sleeping in the car (some of those while driving!)
6% have slept on public transportation
4% couldn’t stay awake at a movie theater
4% have fallen asleep in a bathroom
3% caught some shut-eye in a meeting

Some other unusual places people have found themselves sleeping include:

On a tree or roof
While walking
At a casino
During a funeral
In a swamp
At drag races
In an elevator
During yoga classes
At the dentist
On a ski lift
In a tank
While in military formation
On a saw horse
At a bar
During a rock concert

Getting to the bottom of sleep problems

Many people blame their mattress for their lack of sleep.

As many Americans admit to hating their mattress (8%) as those who love it (7%)
Two-thirds of Americans are unsatisfied with time spent on their mattress
28% of 18- to 34-year-olds have a mattress older than 5 years old
44% of 35- to 54-year-olds have a mattress older than 5 years old
54% of 55-year-olds+ have a mattress older than 5 years old

Survey Details: Conducted in first quarter 2012 with a statistically representative sample of U.S. adults (18+); a sample size of 1,000 yields a confidence interval of 95% +/- 3% .

Survey: Americans Crave Sleep More Than Sex

Americans Are Hungrier for Sleep Than Sex

Survey Finds Americans Willing to Sacrifice to Get a Good Night’s Sleep

Sleep wins out over sex

Sleep starvation leads to sleeping around

Americans find sleep in strange places

Getting to the bottom of sleep problems

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About The Better Sleep Council

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Survey: Americans Crave Sleep More Than Sex

Americans Are Hungrier for Sleep Than Sex

Survey Finds Americans Willing to Sacrifice to Get a Good Night’s Sleep

Sleep wins out over sex

Sleep starvation leads to sleeping around

Americans find sleep in strange places

Getting to the bottom of sleep problems

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Sleep and Partners Research 2023

BSC's 2023 Report: Sleep Habits and Bed Activities

BSC’s Newest Tracker Research Shows Mattress Purchase Intent Is on the Rise

About The Better Sleep Council

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