The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week reported the results of a study based on a 2006 survey of four US states that suggests ten per cent of adult Americans are not getting enough daily rest or sleep.
The study is published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) dated the 29th of February.
The ten per cent figure comes from a study based on the CDC′s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), which covered the four states of Delaware, Hawaii, New York, and Rhode Island, and may not be typical of the US as a whole, said the CDC in a press statement.
However, another study carried out by the CDC using data from the National Health Interview Study suggested that the proportion of adults of all ages who report sleeping six hours or less has gone up between 1985 and 2006, which would indicate that perhaps the BRFSS data is probably not too far off the mark.
According to background information in the MMWR report, an estimated 50 to 70 million Americans suffer from sleep disorders and chronic loss of sleep, which leads to health problems such as obesity, depression, smoking, lack of physical activity and too much drinking.
The study’s lead author, who is a behavioural scientist at the CDC’s Division of Adult and Community Health, Dr Lela R McKnight-Eily, said it was important to gain a better understanding of how sleep affects overall health and that steps should be taken to help people get enough sleep.
“There are very few studies to assess and address sleep insufficiencies; therefore, more needs to done to better understand the problem and to develop effective sleep interventions,” said McKnight-Eily.
McKnight-Eily and colleagues analyzed data from the BRFSS 2006 survey. Among the four states, the proportion of adults who reported not getting enough sleep or rest every day in the last 30 days ranged from 8 per cent in Hawaii to 14 per cent in Delaware.
Only one in three adults (29.6 per cent) reported getting enough rest or sleep every day in the past month.
People worried about chronic lack of sleep should be assessed by their doctor and talk about possible treatment, for which there are a range of behavioural and medical options, said McKnight-Eily. Another way would be to stick to a regular sleep pattern and avoid stimulants like caffeine before retiring, she added.
A 2006 report by the Institute of Medicine said work or lifestyle factors are probably to blame. Examples of reasons why people don’t get enough sleep or have irregular sleep patterns include shift work, work overload, family demands, late night Internet surfing and TV viewing, and use of caffeine and alcohol.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, most adults need between 7 and 9 hours sleep every night to feel fully rested. Children between 5 and 12 years of age need between 9 and 11 hours, while teenagers need between 8.5 and 9.5 hours, they suggest.
The CDC study also found that the proportion of adults saying they were not getting enough sleep went down with age. They estimated 13.3 per cent of adults in the 18 to 34 bracket reported they were not getting enough rest or sleep every day in the past month compared with only 7.3 per cent aged 55 and over.
This appears contrary to those studies that suggest more older adults have disturbed sleep, but supports other studies that say fewer older adults (who are also more likely to be retired) are bothered by impaired sleep and seem to adapt their perception of what constitutes enough.
A possible limitation of the study was that definitions of enough sleep, and the difference between sleep and rest were not given in the survey, which left it to respondents to decide this for themselves. This subjective self-report method cannot be compared on a like for like basis to more objective studies that count how many hours people sleep every night. However, as a study of perceived lack or sufficiency or sleep, it is revealing.
The timing of this information is no coincidence. Next week, March 3rd to 9th, is US National Sleep Awareness Week, a campaign held every year that coincides with Daylight Saving Time.
“Perceived Insufficient Rest or Sleep – Four States, 2006.”
LR McKnight-Eily, LR Presley-Cantrell, TW Strine, DP Chapman, GS Perry, JB Croft, Div of Adult and Community Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, CDC.
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, February 29, 2008, Vol 57, No 8, pp 200-203.
Source:CDC.
Written by: Catharine Paddock, PhD