Sleep Facts from the National Sleep Foundation
Before Thomas Edison’s invention of the light bulb, people slept an average of 10 hours a night; today Americans average 6.9 hours of sleep on weeknights and 7.5 hours per night on weekends (2002 Sleep in America poll).
Approximately 70 million people in the United States are affected by a sleep problem. About 40 million Americans suffer from a chronic sleep disorders, and an additional 20-30 million are affected by intermittent sleep-related problems. However, an overwhelming majority of sleep disorders remain undiagnosed and untreated (National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research, 1992).
Sleep deprivation and sleep disorders are estimated to cost Americans over $100 billion annually in lost productivity, medical expenses, sick leave, and property and environmental damage (National Sleep Foundation).
According to the National Sleep Foundation’s 2001 Sleep in America poll, nearly seven out of 10 Americans said they experience frequent sleep problems, although most have not been diagnosed.
More than two-thirds of all children (69%) experience one or more sleep problems at least a few nights a week (2004 Sleep in America poll).
Two-thirds of older adults (67%) report frequent sleep problems, however only a small fraction, one in eight, says those problems have been diagnosed (2003 Sleep in America poll].
While many Americans enjoy the benefits of sufficient sleep, as many as 47 million adults may be putting themselves at risk for injury, health and behavior problems because they aren’t meeting their minimum sleep need in order to be fully alert the next day. (2002 Sleep in America poll).
A majority of American adults (63%) do not get the recommended eight hours of sleep needed for good health, safety, and optimum performance. In fact, nearly one-third (31%) report sleeping less than seven hours each week night, though many adults say they try to sleep more on weekends. (2001 Sleep in America poll).
More than half of adults surveyed in the 2002 Sleep in America poll said they experienced one or more symptoms of insomnia at least a few nights a week. Insomnia is characterized by difficulty initiating sleep, difficulty maintaining sleep, or waking too early.
Up to 40% of adults report at least occasional difficulty sleeping; chronic and/or severe insomnia affects about 10-15% of adults, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Direct costs of insomnia, which include dollars spent on insomnia treatment, healthcare services, hospital and nursing home care, are estimated at nearly $14 billion annually. Indirect costs such as work loss, property damage from accidents and transportation to and from healthcare providers, are estimated to be $28 billion.
Sleep apnea, a breathing disorder characterized by brief interruptions of breathing during sleep, affects as many as 18 million people, according to NIH. Estimates indicate that untreated sleep apnea may cause $3.4 billion in additional medical costs SLEEP, 1992).
Approximately 12 million Americans have restless legs syndrome, a sleep and movement disorder characterized by unpleasant (tingling, crawling, creeping and/or pulling) feelings in the legs, which cause an urge to move in order to relieve the symptoms.
Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that involves your body’s nervous system. People with narcolepsy experience sudden “sleep attacks” that can occur at any time. Narcolepsy is believed to affect approximately 293,000 people in the US (Narcolepsy Network).
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conservatively estimates that 100,000 police-reported crashes are caused by drowsy drivers each year. (That is about 1.5% of all crashes.) These crashes result in more than 1,500 fatalities and 71,000 injuries and result in an estimated $12.5 billion in diminished productivity and property loss (Knipling and Wang, 1996).
According to NSF’s 2002 Sleep in America poll, 51% of Americans said they drove while feeling drowsy in the past year; 17% said they actually dozed off behind the wheel.