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Healthy Sleep Levels in Adults

MMWR; 2016 Feb 19; Liu, Wheaton, Chapman, et al

Publish date:: March 15, 2016

More than one-third of the US population sleeps <7 hours in a 24-hour period, and the prevalence of a ≥7-hour sleep duration shows geographic clustering of lower prevalence estimates for this duration of sleep in the southeastern US. This according to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey involving more than 444,000 adult respondents. Researchers also found:

• Approximately 65% of respondents reported a healthy sleep duration of >7 hours. 12% of people reported less than 5 hours of sleep per night.

• The age-adjusted prevalence of healthy sleep was lower among non-Hispanic blacks, American Indians/Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders, and multiracial respondents, compared with non-Hispanic whites, Hispanics, and Asians.

• State-based estimates of healthy sleep duration prevalence ranged from 56.1% in Hawaii to 71.6% in South Dakota.

• Geographic clustering of lowest prevalence of healthy sleep duration was observed in the southeastern US and in states along the Appalachian Mountains, which are regions with the highest burdens of obesity and other chronic conditions.

• The highest prevalence was observed in the Great Plains states.

Citation: Liu Y, Wheaton A, Chapman D, Cunningham T, Lu H, Croft J. Prevalence of healthy sleep duration among adults—United States, 2014. MMWR. 2016;65(6):137-141. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6506a1.

Commentary: A proper night’s sleep is important. Epidemiologic data suggests that sleeping <7 hours per night is associated with greater insulin resistance, metabolic abnormalities, and weight gain as well as an increased risk for obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, stroke, frequent mental distress, and all-cause mortality. Individuals who sleep ≥7 hours have a lower prevalence of cigarette smoking, obesity and leisure-time physical inactivity, compared to those who sleep less than 7 hours.^1,2 While no studies exist showing that screening for sleep duration yields improved outcomes, the authors of this report suggest that, “clinicians might find routine discussion of sleep health with their patients as well as pursuit of explanations for poor sleep health an important component of providing health care.” —Neil Skolnik, MD

1. Liu Y, Wheaton AG, Chapman DP, Croft JB. Sleep duration and chronic diseases among US adults age 45 years and older: evidence from the 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Sleep 2013;36:1421–7. doi:10.5665/sleep.3028.

2. Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. Sleep disorders and sleep deprivation: an unmet public health problem. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press; 2006. http://iom.nationalacademies.org/Reports/2006/Sleep-Disorders-and-Sleep-Deprivation-An-Unmet-Public-Health-Problem.aspx. Accessed March 14, 2016.

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