From the recommended number of hours of sleep that adults need on a nightly basis (7) to the number of adults that are putting themselves at risk because of poor sleep habits (47 million), sleep is all about numbers.
Here are a few numbers that will help you understand your sleep habits better and what you can do to make sure you and your family are consistently getting a good night’s sleep.
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7.1
The average number of hours school age children sleep if they do not have a set bedtime. This is more than one hour less than the minimum number of hours children need on school nights, which is 8.5 to 9.5. Lack of sufficient sleep in teens causes falling asleep at school, oversleeping, snoring, lack of energy to exercise or complete homework after school, and overall irritability and crankiness.
57
The percentage of women who suffer from insomnia. Insomnia is often linked to depression and can worsen symptoms of depression already being experienced. Unhealthy sleep habits and hormonal changes can also be causes of insomnia, but unfortunately, only 7% of women seek treatment from healthcare professionals. There are medical and non medical aids for trouble falling and staying asleep.
100,000
The number of car crashes reported every year that list drowsiness and fatigue as a probably cause. More than one quarter of women have reported driving drowsy – one in ten saying they had a child in the car. Women are more likely to put their own health aside when juggling daily activities with work and family and are more likely to not get enough sleep at night.
77
The percentage of adults who exercised moderately during the day and reported a fairly good or moderately good night’s sleep at night. Exercising promotes restful sleep. It increases bedtime sleepiness and morning alertness. Exercisers report better and more sleep on days they exercise than on days they don’t, and those who exercise regularly report better sleep on average than those who do not.
72
The percentage of children ages 6 to 17 that have at least one electronic device in their bedroom. The use of electronic devices at night, and especially when used from bed, makes it harder to fall asleep, reduces night time sleepiness, reduces quality of sleep, and increases drowsiness in the morning.
26
The percentage of parents who feel their children get at least one less hour of sleep than they need on a nightly basis. The National Sleep Foundation recommends that children 6 to 10 get at least 10 to 11 hours of sleep every night and older children get 8.5 to 9.5 hours a night. However, 90% of parents know that their children’s sleep habits greatly affect their performance in school, health, happiness, and mood.
47 million
The number of adults in the US regularly not getting enough or good quality sleep. Quality sleep is one of the most important factors for mental health and productivity. Setting bed times, developing good night time habits, and seeking professional health care treatment when needed are all ways to develop better sleeping habits and increase you and your family’s overall quality of life.
Related Articles:
- 5 Apps that Test How Well You Sleep (valleysleepcenter.com)
- What You Don’t Know About Sleep, Could Hurt You (valleysleepcenter.com)
- What to do if your child snores (valleysleepcenter.com)
