Pandemic brought more hours of sleep to the U.S.

HOLLISTON, Mass. — It is a problem shared by nearly 60 percent of Americans: daily exhaustion from lack of sufficient sleep.

“I am a single Mom, so I’m always awake listening for my kids and staying up late trying to get stuff done,” said Jessica Drowne, a teacher in the Holliston Public Schools. “Usually I go to bed sometime after midnight, set the alarm for 6:30 and hope I’m out of bed for 7.”

On average, Drowne said she gets about six hours of sleep a night.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, that is not quite enough. For adults, NSF recommends 7-9 hours of sleep. Teens should get 8-10 and children ages 6-13 need 9-11 hours.

The good news, overall, is that during the pandemic Americans were getting more hours of sleep.

“In 2021, forty-four percent of Americans were getting the recommended duration of 7-9 hours,” said Erin Koffel, PhD, Senior Director of Scientific Affairs and Research at the National Sleep Foundation. “That’s a significant increase from 2019, where it was thirty-eight percent.”

The pandemic allowed those longer hours of sleep because, for example, many worked from home — eliminating commutes. And children did not have to be driven to school when learning remotely.

But more sleep did not appear to translate into good sleep.

“Sleep quality — like how well people were falling asleep and staying asleep — that had a decline over the last year,” Koffel said. “So it’s kind of a mixed bag. And I’d give our grade a mid to low B. There’s lots of opportunities for improvement.”

One area for improvement: enhancing the ability to fall asleep by changing some habits.

In a recent poll, NSF found a sizable proportion of Americans engaging in practices that dimmed the chances for good sleep — such as not getting enough exercise, eating at erratic times, not getting proper, timely exposure to bright light and dim and melding screen time with bedtime.

But sleep also suffers in the U.S. for sociological reasons, Koffel suggested.

“I think we’re really busy people,” Koffel said. “We have a lot going on. People are working multiple jobs, there’s childcare, care-giving for older adults. And so I think it’s just easier to let those other things cut into our time for sleep.”

This week, the National Sleep Foundation is marking National Sleep Awareness Week — something the organization’s been doing for 24 years. One of the key messages is how vital sleep is to good health.

“Not getting enough sleep or not getting good sleep can lead to cardiovascular problems, diabetes, obesity,” Koffel said. “Mental health issues are more likely if people aren’t sleeping well.”

Plus, there is brain fog with too little sleep.

“Mentally, you definitely can’t do anything as fast,” said Robert Payne, a Holliston High School senior. “You’re not as productive.”

But Koffel said there are less obvious physiological reasons for getting adequate sleep.

“Sleep is the underpinning of so many of our functions, our biology,” Koffel said. “It’s a time for restoration, it helps our brain recover and restore itself. It helps our body, our muscles to recover. And so it’s really critical for our overall health.”

On a scale of one to ten, Victoria Uminsky of Medway rates the importance of sleep at their top.

“I go to bed super-early,” she said. “I go to bed every night around 10 and then wake up about 7.”

Uminsky said consistency is important for good sleep — and says working out in the morning helps her rest at night.

Paul Saulnier of Holliston gets about 8 to 10 hours of sleep a night.

“I’m 75, I’m semi-retired,” he said, “So I get plenty of time to sleep. The old rule of thumb used to be, every hour [of sleep] before midnight is worth two. So I try to get to bed by eight or nine.”

While there are guidelines and recommendations for sufficient sleep, Koffel said not everyone’s requirements will line up. Some can function on less sleep. Some need more.

Holliston High School senior Eva Bergloff said she sleeps 8 or 9 hours a night.

“But then I go home after school and take a two and half hour nap most times,” she said.

Koffel said the key to knowing how much sleep you need is function.

“What I just tell people is pay attention to yourself and your experience and what amount of sleep serves you best,” she said.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW

©2022 Cox Media Group