5 findings from Casper and Gallup report on sleep and health

Work stress keeping you up at night? Here’s how to get a better night’s sleep

April 27, 2022 5:30 AM

We all love a good night’s sleep, but most of us aren’t getting it.

Approximately 84 million American adults struggle to get quality sleep, according to a report by management consulting company Gallup and mattress company Casper. While sleep is fundamental to our cardiovascular, metabolic, immune, cognitive, mental and behavioral health, we don’t always treat it that way, says Dr. Michael Grandner, sleep advisor at Casper and director of the sleep and health research program at the University of Arizona.

“Many Americans struggle with sleep because our culture does not prioritize sleep as important for health and daytime functioning,” says Dr. Grandner. “We see sleep as an unproductive use of time, and we are often trying to minimize it in order to be more effective or productive. However, the opposite is true.”

Dr. Grandner points out that poor sleep is connected with drops in productivity, more accidents and struggles with emotions and decision-making — all of which harms workers as well as their employers. But it seems that many Americans are not putting sleep first, even if they want to. Dr. Grandner broke down the findings from the Casper-Gallup report and shared a few ways to reset your sleep routine.

Sleep isn’t easy

More than half of U.S. adults report the use of a sleep aid, according to the Casper-Gallup survey. These aids may include anything from air conditioning, special sheets and noise machines to tea, melatonin and prescription medications. However, these aids may not be as crucial to sleep as the right state of mind.

“Make sure you give yourself enough time and space to wind down at the end of the day so your body is ready for sleep at the right time,” says Dr. Grandner. “To better support a bed-sleep connection, you should also get out of bed if you cannot sleep.”

Dr. Grandner also emphasizes the importance of a consistent wake-up routine accompanied by exposure to light and physical activity, since it can increase energy for the day and set the body up for rest in the evening.

Stress can be a mighty opponent

The Casper-Gallup report also found that stress nearly doubles the chances of poor-quality sleep — a point that doesn’t bode well for younger Americans. In fact, those between the ages of 18 and 29 years old were the most likely to report stress the prior day, being nearly 30% more likely to experience stress than those between 50 and 64 years old.

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Young people may also not be fully adjusted to a traditional work schedule, making bedtime and wake-up hours inconsistent, Dr. Grandner says.

“Social and biological pressures to stay up later and sleep in later are in conflict with societal pressures to get up earlier for work,” he says.

Gender plays a role

Casper and Gallup found that women are 13% more likely to prioritize sleep compared to men, but 42% more likely to have trouble falling asleep. Dr. Grandner points to the gender divide, noting that men may have a more indifferent, if not toxic view of sleep, while women strive for sleep and as a result, worry more.

“Men may be more likely to see prioritizing sleep as a sign of weakness,” he says. “They may also feel like sleeping less may be part of a strategy for optimizing performance or productivity.”

Lost sleep is costly

Workers who typically experience poor sleep report 2.29 days of unplanned absenteeism each month, costing the U.S. economy $44.6 billion each year, according to the Casper-Gallup report. This means a work culture that promotes sleep may be in employers’ best interests.

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“People who don't get enough quality sleep are more likely to develop heart disease and diabetes, get sick more often and take longer to recover, develop depression or anxiety disorders and tend not to live as long,” says Dr. Grandner. “Taking sleep more seriously not only leads to improvements in health and well-being, but it leads to better work outcomes."

Sleep determines your mindset

According to Casper-Gallup’s findings, people who reported better sleep over the past 30 days were much more likely to have a positive outlook on where their lives will be five years from now. This underlines just how influential sleep is in determining how we feel not only days, but years from now. For Dr. Grandner, companies have an important role to play in helping workers prioritize better rest.

“Encourage a workplace culture that sees sleep health as being just as important as a good diet, physical exercise and healthy stress management,” he says. “That means allowing for flexible time, not encouraging schedules that do not align with people's rhythms and providing resources for better sleep.”