Nolah 2022 Sleep Survey
U.S. Sleep Statistics: A Closer Look at Sleep Health, Habits, and Mattress Satisfaction in 2022
Background
For those who work long hours, care for children, or constantly bounce from one social engagement to the next, carving out seven hours for sleep each night may sound like an unlikely luxury.
Even if you can build your schedule around the seven-hour minimum recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), you may still struggle to get consistent, quality sleep. On top of leading busy lives, people continuously face obstacles to getting restorative rest, such as stress, anxiety, and physical pain points.
If this struggle for sleep sounds familiar you’re not alone. The CDC recognizes sleep deprivation as a public health epidemic, reporting that more than one-third of U.S. adults get less than seven hours of sleep a night.
Side Effects of Losing Sleep
The short-term consequences of sleep deprivation are usually easy to identify; everyone knows what lethargy, drowsiness, and exhaustion feel like. However, you may not recognize the long-term effects of insufficient sleep.
Because sleep impacts virtually every aspect of human health, many people don’t immediately connect their symptoms to the problem. Insufficient sleep has so many potential ramifications, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society organizes the possible effects into nine categories: general health, cardiovascular health, metabolic health, mental health, immunologic health, human performance, cancer, pain, and mortality.
The Other Pandemic
The CDC has extensive data on American sleep metrics, such as sleep duration and sleep latency. However, much of this research predates the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
As of January 2022, more than 60 million people in the U.S. have contracted COVID-19 (The New York Times). But even those who haven’t had the virus have experienced changes in their day-to-day life. The global pandemic continues to have wide-ranging social and public health consequences, including shifts in national sleep patterns.
Recent studies show a spike in insomnia and other sleep problems during the pandemic, a phenomenon now nicknamed “coronasomnia.”
Psychiatric professionals like Dr. Rachel Manber, Director of the Stanford Sleep Health and Insomnia Program, attributes the uptick in sleep problems to two primary factors—stress levels and sleep behavior changes influenced by the pandemic. According to Manber:
“People may worry not only about the disease itself, [but also] other health issues that might not be optimally addressed, financial issues, as well as other psychological and interpersonal stressors. In general, worries and anxieties tend to have a negative impact on sleep.”
Regarding sleep habits, Manber added:
“Shelter in place also leads some people to alter the timing and duration of sleep in ways that can be detrimental to sleep. For example, they might be less regular in when they wake up, or take long naps during the day. These behaviors have negative impact on the biological clock that regulates sleep and wakefulness and therefore lead to problems sleeping.”
Purpose
At Nolah, we believe quality sleep is a key component of full-body health and wellness, as important as diet and exercise. From our mattresses to bed sheets, we design every product with common sleep habits and human biology in mind.
To help our customers get the best sleep possible, we have to know what sleepers need and what features they care about most.
Nolah teamed up with Mattress Nerd to investigate the current state of sleep in the U.S. Through this survey, we hoped to learn more about general sleep habits, what factors delay or disrupt sleep, how to counteract coronasomnia and other sleep issues, and what consumers want from their next mattress.
Methodology
Nolah conducted this survey through Typeform and Prolific, independent platforms for survey creation and administration, respectively.
The survey did not name or provide any information about Nolah or any other mattress brand. All 400 participants were compensated through Prolific. Prolific also uses census data to obtain representative samples of U.S. adults.
Results and Analysis: Sleep Quality
To assess a population’s overall sleep health, we look at three key metrics: sleep duration, latency, and interruptions. We asked our participants how many hours of sleep they usually get each night, how long it typically takes them to fall asleep, and how frequently they wake up during the night.
What’s considered “normal” or “healthy” sleep for adults?
How much sleep you need varies by age and activity level, but in general, the CDC recommends adults get at least seven hours of sleep.
When it comes to sleep latency, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Mayo Clinic both recommend getting out of bed and doing something else until you feel tired if you cannot fall asleep within 20 minutes. In our analysis, we use the 20-minute mark as a benchmark.
Waking up during the night is normal, and you may not even notice it. However, mid-sleep insomnia can prevent you from getting sufficient sleep and decrease overall sleep quality. The Mayo Clinic also recommends getting out of bed if you wake up and can’t fall back asleep within 20 minutes.
The Mayo Clinic recommends gettings out of bed if you wake up and can't fall back asleep within 20 minutes.
How Well Do Adults in the U.S. Sleep?
The list below shows a sleep quality assessment for all survey participants. We used the same metrics for all of the following analyses.
Sleep Quality– Average Self-Assessed Sleep Quality Rating (10 Being the Best): 6.1/10
Sleep Duration– Typically Sleep Less Than 7 Hours a Night: 39.6%
Sleep Latency– Typically Take More Than 20 Minutes to Fall Asleep: 54.8%
Sleep Disruptions– Wake Up During the Night 3 Nights a Week or More: 47.8%
Age and Generation
At different stages of life, you need more or less sleep to fuel your days. You also face different sleep disruptions. For example, people generally experience more stress during their working years, but older, retired individuals are more likely to have joint pain and other ailments that make it hard to fall asleep.
To better understand how the physical changes and social factors that evolve with age affect sleep health, consider the following data.
Sleep Quality: Average Self-Assessed Sleep Quality Rating
Gen Z (Ages 18-24): 6.3/10
Gen Y/Millennials (Ages 25-40): 6/10
Gen X (Ages 41-56): 6.3/10
Baby Boomers (Ages 57-75): 5.6/10
Sleep Duration: Typically Sleep Less Than 7 Hours a Night
Gen Z: 38.1%
Gen Y/Millennials: 39.9%
Gen X: 43.3%
Baby Boomers: 36.4%
Sleep Latency: Typically Take More Than 20 Minutes to Fall Asleep
Gen Z: 62.9%
Gen Y/Millennials: 57%
Gen X: 45%
Baby Boomers: 36%
Sleep Disruptions: Wake Up During the Night 3 Nights a Week or More
Gen Z: 36.6%
Gen Y/Millennials: 47.5%
Gen X: 76.7%
Baby Boomers: 68.2%
Sex and Gender
Does sex or gender have anything to do with how well you sleep?
According to Sleep Foundation, all adults generally need the same amount of rest. However, there are both sex and gender-related factors that influence sleep patterns and the quality of your sleep.
For example, the hormonal shifts that occur throughout the menstrual cycle and during menopause can directly affect sleep cycles and cause sleep disturbances. Meanwhile, many social factors influence sleep duration and latency.
As explained by Sleep Foundation:
“Gender norms play a role in employment opportunities, work schedules, and the division of household obligations. In most cases, researchers have found that these norms place additional strain on women, affecting their sleep patterns and sleep hygiene.”
In the next section, we’ll discuss how mental health conditions like anxiety and depression adversely affect sleep health. It’s important to note that many of these conditions also disproportionately affect women, who are twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression than men (Mayo Clinic). The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) also reports that adults who identify as transgender are about four times more likely to experience a mental health condition than those who identify as cisgender.
Sleep Quality: Average Self-Assessed Sleep Quality Rating
Female: 6.2/10
Male: 6.2/10
Non-Binary: 4.7/10
Sleep Duration: Typically Sleep Less Than 7 Hours a Night
Female: 36.3%
Male: 41.9%
Non-Binary: 55%
Sleep Latency: Typically Take More Than 20 Minutes to Fall Asleep
Female: 55.9%
Male: 53%
Non-Binary: 65%
Sleep Disruptions: Wake Up During the Night 3 Nights a Week or More
Female: 50.6%
Male: 44.9%
Non-Binary: 50%
*Participants were asked “To which gender identity do you most identify?” and given the following options: Female (49%), Male (46.8%), Non-binary (4%), Other (.2%), and I Prefer Not to Answer (0%).
Mental Health
Sleep not only restores the body; it also helps the brain stay organized. While you sleep, the brain solidifies memories and processes new information. Without sleep, cognitive performance and emotional regulation suffer.
On the flip side of the coin, mental and emotional distress can make falling asleep and staying asleep difficult. This relationship between sleep and mental health often creates a cycle in which a disorder can make it harder to sleep, and lack of sleep can worsen symptoms of the disorder.
According to NAMI, about 50 percent of insomnia cases are related to depression, anxiety, or psychological stress. Through our survey results, we can see how anxiety, depression, and stress specifically affect sleep duration, latency, and disruptions.
All Participants: Anxiety, Depression, and Stress
Have or Experience Symptoms of Anxiety: 54.4%
Have or Experience Symptoms of Depression: 41.4%
High Stress (7-10/10): 43.9%
Moderate Stress (4-6/10): 39%
Low Stress (1-3/10): 28.1%
Anxiety
Sleep Quality: Average Self-Assessed Sleep Quality Rating
Individuals Who Have or Experience Symptoms of Anxiety: 5.3/10
Individuals Who Do NOT Have or Experience Symptoms of Anxiety: 6.6/10
Sleep Duration: Typically Sleep Less Than 7 Hours a Night
Individuals Who Have or Experience Symptoms of Anxiety: 41.9%
Individuals Who Do NOT Have or Experience Symptoms of Anxiety: 36.8%
Sleep Latency: Typically Take More Than 20 Minutes to Fall Asleep
Individuals Who Have or Experience Symptoms of Anxiety: 64%
Individuals Who Do NOT Have or Experience Symptoms of Anxiety: 43.9%
Sleep Disruptions: Wake Up During the Night 3 Nights a Week or More
Individuals Who Have or Experience Symptoms of Anxiety: 54%
Individuals Who Do NOT Have or Experience Symptoms of Anxiety: 40.4%
Depression
Sleep Quality: Average Self-Assessed Sleep Quality Rating
Individuals Who Have or Experience Symptoms of Depression: 5.5/10
Individuals Who Do NOT Have or Experience Symptoms of Depression: 6.7/10
Sleep Duration: Typically Sleep Less Than 7 Hours a Night
Individuals Who Have or Experience Symptoms of Depression: 45.9%
Individuals Who Do NOT Have or Experience Symptoms of Depression: 35.2%
Sleep Latency: Typically Take More Than 20 Minutes to Fall Asleep
Individuals Who Have or Experience Symptoms of Depression: 62.8%
Individuals Who Do NOT Have or Experience Symptoms of Depression: 49.2%
Sleep Disruptions: Wake Up During the Night 3 Nights a Week or More
Individuals Who Have or Experience Symptoms of Depression: 55.6%
Individuals Who Do NOT Have or Experience Symptoms of Depression: 42.3%
Stress
Sleep Quality: Average Self-Assessed Sleep Quality Rating
High Stress: 5.8/10
Moderate Stress: 6.3/10
Low Stress: 6.9/10
Sleep Duration: Typically Sleep Less Than 7 Hours a Night
High Stress: 44%
Moderate Stress: 38%
Low Stress: 28%
Sleep Latency: Typically Take More Than 20 Minutes to Fall Asleep
High Stress: 62%
Moderate Stress: 53%
Low Stress: 39.1%
Sleep Disruptions: Wake Up During the Night 3 Nights a Week or More
High Stress: 54.4%
Moderate Stress: 44.1%
Low Stress: 34.4%
Looking at mental health also sheds light on the previously discussed generational trends. Our survey results align with national data showing higher rates of anxiety and depression among the younger generations. The American Psychological Association’s annual Stress in America report highlights this crisis and explores how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected mental health.
Results and Analysis: Environment and Lifestyle
While you can’t control your biology, you can control your habits and certain aspects of your environment. To better understand the external factors that affect sleep, we asked participants what helps them sleep and what hinders sleep.
Sleep Delays and Disruptions
We asked participants: “When you have difficulty falling asleep, what is typically the cause?” The five following factors occurred most frequently.
- 1) Stress, anxiety, overthinking, or other uncontrollable thoughts
- 2) Physical restlessness or general physical discomfort
- 3) Feeling too hot or sweating
- 4) Unknown reason
- 5) Noise (other than snoring)
Similarly, the survey asked: “If you wake up during the night, what is typically the cause?” These conditions round out the top five responses.
- 1) Feeling too hot or sweating
- 2) Stress, anxiety, overthinking, or other uncontrollable thoughts
- 3) Unknown reason
- 4) Scary or unpleasant dreams
- 5) Physical restlessness or general physical discomfort
Phone Use
New technology often has a dark side. But when it comes to mobile phones, it’s the light that causes a problem.
TVs, desktops, laptops, phones, and tablets all emit blue light, a range within the visible light spectrum. While these devices emit only a fraction of the blue light that the sun gives off, the timing of exposure to artificial blue light can throw off your circadian rhythms.
Now that Google and Apple’s operating systems push “dark mode” settings on personal devices, users are increasingly cognizant of the potential harms of late-night blue light exposure. But has awareness actually changed people’s behavior?
Our survey found that an overwhelming majority (85.2%) of U.S. adults sleep with their phones in or next to their bed every single night. To investigate the relationship between phone habits and falling asleep, we compared the sleep latency of people who always sleep with their phones and people who never sleep with their phones.
Sleep Latency: Typically Take More Than 20 Minutes to Fall Asleep
Always Sleep Near Their Phone: 56.6%
Never Sleep Near Their Phone: 28.6%
Sleep Aids
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the sleep aid market has seen unprecedented growth. For example, consumers in the U.S. spent $825,559,397 on melatonin supplements in 2020 alone, a 42.6 percent year-over-year increase.
Our survey found that 17.8 percent of U.S. adults use melatonin supplements four nights a week or more, and 8.4 percent use CBD in the same capacity. Given the rise in melatonin and other over-the-counter sleep aid sales, the effectiveness of these products remains a popular topic of research and debate.
In terms of self-reported sleep quality, survey participants who use melatonin or CBD four or more nights a week reported a slightly lower score than those who use neither. While this survey did not explore sleep supplement usage and effectiveness in great depth, we hope to conduct further research.
Results and Analysis: Mattress Satisfaction and Industry Insights
As a sleep technology company, Nolah identifies pain points and turns them into opportunities for innovation.
For example, we developed our proprietary Nolah AirFoam™️ with hot sleepers in mind. We created a comfortable and supportive mattress foam free from the heat-trapping chemicals used in memory foam industry-wide. We succeeded in designing the ideal mattress for hot sleepers, and U.S. News recognized the Nolah Original as the Best Cooling Mattress of 2021.
But we're far from finished pushing the boundaries of sleep technology. Surveys such as this help identify people's pain points and the needs of the industry at large.
Mattress Ownership
Question: What type of mattress is your primary mattress?
Innerspring: 37.2%
Foam or Memory Foam: 36.6%
Hybrid: 21.8%
*Due to sample size limitations (2% of survey participants), latex and latex hybrid mattresses have been excluded from analysis. The remaining participants selected “Other” or “Do Not Know.”
Question: What firmness level is your primary mattress?
Medium (5-7/10): 74.4%
Firm (8-10/10): 14.4%
Soft (1-4/10): 11.2%
Mattress Type and Mattress Satisfaction
Question: On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the most content), how content are you with your primary mattress?
Innerspring: 5.7
Foam or Memory Foam: 7.1
Hybrid: 7.3
Mattress Type, Complaints, and Pain Points
Our survey asked participants to identify any complaints they have about their current mattress. Across all mattress types, these five grievances appeared most frequently:
- 1) Too firm
- 2) Sagging or wear
- 3) Too hot
- 4) Inflexible (no or poor contouring)
- 5) Pressure on bones, joints, or pain points
In our analysis, we identified what percent of each mattress type owners reported each pain point. The chart below categorizes each complaint by the highest percentage of owners who reported that issue.
Innerspring:
- Wake up with soreness (21.5%)
- Mattress is too firm (22%)
- Sagging or wear (23.7%)
- Pressure on bones, joints, or pain points (14.5%)
- Inflexible (no or poor contouring) (16.1%)
- Slow response to movement (pressure and pressure removal) (4.5%)
- Poor motion isolation (7.5%)
- Poor edge support (10.8%)
- Mattress makes too much noise (17.2%)
- Have or experience shoulder pain (18.3%)
- Have or experience hip pain (11.8%)
Memory Foam:
- Mattress is too hot (16.9%)
- Have or experience back pain (36.1%)
Hybrid:
- Mattress is too soft (11.5%)
- Sink too far into the mattress (10.6%)
Taking Control of Your Sleep Health and Hygiene
While the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated sleep problems for people across the globe, insufficient sleep is not a new phenomenon. However, it can become a turning point in sleep health awareness.
Nolah encourages readers to assess their own sleep habits and hygiene and treat sleep as an integral piece of physical and mental wellness. For more information about sleep health, head over to the Nolah Blog or see the CDC's list of resources here.
Disclaimer: Nolah does not provide medical advice. All resources on the Nolah blog, including this article, are informational only and do not replace professional medical counsel. Talk to your doctor about any health, mental health, or sleep-related issues.
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