In 2020, year two, the BSC fielded three research initiatives:

• In January of 2020, the BSC launched Wave 2 of The State of America’s Sleep survey, utilizing the same questionnaire as in 2019
• In March of 2020, during the early days of the COVID-19 in the United States, the BSC fielded a follow-up survey, including a subset of the January survey, with the goal of comparing change in sleep since the coronavirus irrupted in the United States
• In March of 2020, the BSC completed an analysis of social media posts to further understand the impact of the coronavirus on America’s sleep

The following provides key findings from the three studies. Section One focuses on The State of America’s Sleep as of January 2020, before COVID-19. Section Two describes the State of America’s Sleep during COVID-19.

The 2019 State of America’s Sleep survey findings can be accessed on the Better Sleep Council’s website.

Methodological Overview

Key Findings

America’s quality of sleep declined in January 2020, compared to last year.

• Fewer Americans were getting the minimum recommended 7-8 hours of sleep per night in January 2020, compared to last year (54% Jan. 2020 vs. 60% in 2019).
• Similarly, over four in 10 Americans described their sleep as poor or fair (43%), down from 38% in 2019.

Why Were Americans Sleeping More Poorly in January 2020 Compared to Last Year?

America’s stress level increased (and we know stress has a negative impact on sleep):

• In January 2020, 41% of Americans said they felt stress often to very often compared to 36% in 2019.

Americans felt more strapped financially than a year ago (and we know personal finances are a driver of good or poor sleep).

In January 2020:

• More Americans were concerned about their own financial future (69% vs. 65% in 2019).
• More than half Americans said they lived paycheck to paycheck (55%) vs. exactly half (50%) in 2019.
• More than half said they had enough money for just the necessities (54% vs. 48% in 2019).
• Fewer saved money regularly for unforeseen home expenses (44% vs. 48% in 2019).
• Fewer regularly saved money for retirement (39% vs. 43% in 2019).
• Fewer saved money for vacation (37% vs. 41% in 2019).
• Fewer saved money for their child’s college (33% vs. 43% in 2019).
• Fewer saved money for unforeseen medical expenses (33% vs. 37% in 2019).

Workplaces became more stressful than a year ago (and we know that work-related stress affects sleep).

In January 2020:

• 74% of Americans reported working in a friendly environment, 78% did in 2019
• 70% of Americans agreed that their work environment is respectful, 74% did in 2019

America’s sense of security went down compared to last year.

In January 2020:

• 66% of Americans were concerned about terrorism in the country vs. 63% in 2019.
• 51% felt threatened by the actions of other countries toward the United States vs. 43% in 2019.

At the same time, fewer Americans used coping mechanisms to relieve stress than the year before:

• Specifically, fewer exercised in 2020 (26% did not exercise vs. 22% in 2019) and those who did spent less time exercising. They spent 2.31 hours a week exercising on average in January 2020 vs. 2.48 hours in 2019.

What Changed with COVID-19?

As expected, quality of sleep in America declined further with the arrival of COVID-19:

• In January 2020, 54% of Americans were getting the minimum 7-8 hours of recommended sleep. As of March, fewer than half (49%) did.
• Similarly, in January 2020, over four in 10 Americans described their sleep as poor or fair (43%). As of March, over half of the nation qualified their sleep as poor or fair (52%).
• While about three in 10 Americans woke up feeling rested and refreshed often or frequently before COVID-19 (30% in January 2020), only 2.4 in 10 Americans (24%) did as of March.
• And negative posts on social media relative to sleep jumped from 45% of all sleep-related posts to 73% in March compared to last year.

How Did COVID-19 Impact the State of America’s Sleep?

America’s overall level of stress spiked, and it’s having an impact on sleep:

• In January 2020, four in ten (41%) Americans reported feeling stressed often or very often. As of March, over half Americans (53%) felt stressed about COVID-19 often or very often.
• Similarly, there were 11% more social media mentions relative to sleep and stress in March of this year compared to last year.

Social media posts:

“I just want to sleep but this stress won’t permit it.” March 22, 2020

 “I am already losing sleep and have intermittent stomach aches. Stress hasn’t really affected me like this in the past. My absolute feeling of no control and faith in our government (federal, not local) is making me sick.” March 21, 2020

Americans are worried about their health and it’s impacting their sleep.

The number of social media posts about sleep and health is 1.3 times higher in March of this year than it was in 2019. And posts about sleep and being sick are 1.17 times higher than last year. And of course, COVID-19 is a top concern, associated with sleep.

Social media posts:

“My sleeping pattern has been off lately due to the whole coronavirus pandemic.” March 22, 2020

“I can’t sleep. Just finished an article about the pandemic to help people understand the seriousness of it all. If you need a read, this might interest you.” March 22, 2020

“As a single mom who has been losing sleep trying to be strong emotionally and make ends meet, adding to the worry of our health is a lot. Sending love and positivity to everyone.” March 22, 2020

“Stress, no eating, worrying, and getting no sleep kills your immune system!!! With that being said, everything will be ok. Get some sleep family!!!” March 22, 2020

Americans are concerned about the country’s economy and that’s affecting the way we sleep:

• About one-third of the nation felt good about the economy in January 2020 (38%) vs. less than 20% did as of March 2020.
• Lack of confidence in the stock market prevailed in the nation in March (56% of Americans disagree that they have confidence in the stock market vs. 39% in January 2020).
• And mentions of sleep and the economy or stocks were exponentially higher in March 2020 than last year.

Social media post:

“What coping strategies are you using to stay sane while staying indoors? Here are mine: Sleeping too much, stressing about COVID-19, stressing about finances, staring at phone all day, sadly reminiscing about things I can’t do now – someone please help me.” March 22, 2020

And while sleep is a big topic of conversation, not surprisingly it does not currently dominate social media.

Americans made fewer mentions of sleep during the COVID-19 pandemic so far than during the same period of time last year, suggesting that Americans have other more important things on their minds.

Survey Details: Better Sleep Council January 2020 and March 2020

Modern society has brought a lot of light into our lives. Streetlights to guide us, warning lights to alert us, floodlights to protect us. All of which are good. But all that light isn’t always positive – particularly at night. Here’s an illuminating fact: the negative effects of using LED and blue lights at night can be both mental and physical, and they far outweigh any perceived benefits. Hmmm. Sounds like it’s time to come to the dark side – at least after the sun sets.

The Magical Sleep Hormone

To understand the relationship between light and sleep, let’s start by getting to know melatonin – a powerful hormone that helps us fall asleep. Melatonin is a crucial part of our internal biological clock, or to use the scientific term, the circadian rhythm. As nighttime approaches, our bodies naturally produce higher levels of melatonin. When we expose ourselves to bright light during that time, it throws our clocks out of whack and stops the much-needed melatonin from being produced. The result? It’s harder to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Lost Sleep Is Just the Beginning

Losing sleep matters. In fact, research has shown that it can lead to all sorts of issues, from irritability to memory impairment, illness and disease. Melatonin and cortisol, hormones produced at night, can even play important roles in fighting off cancer.

To test this theory, Dr. Richard G. Stevens, cancer epidemiologist and professor at the University of Connecticut Health Center, injected lab rats with breast cancer-causing agents. Half also received injections of melatonin. The rats who received melatonin avoided getting cancer, while the other rats did not.

To lower our risk for getting cancer, it’s important to get a good night’s rest – and a dark room is the best way to guarantee we get those zzz’s.

Shedding Light on Depression

Lighting up our homes in the evenings can also clinically darken our moods. A recent study in Japan showed a strong association between low-level light exposure at night and depressive symptoms in elderly adults. And while this experiment focused on the elderly, study co-author Kenji Obayashi warns that the effects might be even more pronounced among younger people, whose eyes are more sensitive and register more light. Simply falling asleep with the TV on or spending time online before bed can be enough to bring on depressive symptoms in a person of any age.

With that in mind, it’s probably a good idea to shut out as many light sources as possible before you turn in for the night, especially LED ones. The good news is that if you do experience some night-light-related depression, you can easily reverse the effects by changing your habits.

The Right Kind of Light

Now before you throw out all of your night lights, consider this: not all light at night is bad for you. Blue light, the type of bright light that comes from natural sunlight and the LCD/LED screens of our electronic devices, can boost our attention, reaction times and moods during the day. But at night, it disrupts our biological clocks and makes our bodies think we should stay awake when all we need is sleep. Reddish or orangish lights, on the other hand, are the least likely to suppress melatonin production and interfere with sleep. Investing in a few dim, red night lights is one way to appease kids who are afraid of the dark.

Sleep Safely and Soundly

Leaving lights on at bedtime can lead to unsatisfying, disrupted sleep, not to mention all sorts of health risks. Keep these tips in mind to protect yourself from harmful blue light and to get better quality sleep.

• Power down your electronics. Before you hit the pillow, turn your TV, laptop and phone to “night mode” and limit your use of other blue light, such as LEDs, at least an hour before bed. When your electronics are in “night mode,” they will have yellow screens instead of blue ones and won’t distract you before bedtime.
• Healthy sleep equals stress-free sleep. Turn your bedroom into a worry-free zone right before you hit the hay. Since blue light disturbs sleep, keep your electronics away from you so you won’t be tempted to check anything in the middle of the night.
• An app may be your answer. Can’t seem to break your habit of using electronics at night? Install an app to filter out the blue wavelengths for you.
• Pure darkness is key. Set yourself up to sleep better by using blackout curtains and/or a sleep mask.
• Dim the lights down low. Install dimmer switches so you can lower the lights at night to help your body prepare for sleep.

Let There Be Light! (In the Morning, That Is…)

While you want a dark bedroom for sleeping, waking up to light in the morning is actually a good thing. Exposure to natural light helps boost your mood and increase levels of energy and alertness, so open the curtains as soon as you’re up and at ’em!

If you wake up before the sun does, there are other types of light that are safe to use in the morning. Lower-wattage lightbulbs (between 45 and 50 watts) offer gentle light. Smart lightbulbs change color, and while you can program them to switch to yellow/amber lights to help you sleep at night, you can also have them change to brighter lights in the morning.

What if I Still Can’t Fall Asleep?

If you follow these tips and still have struggles sleeping, talk to your doctor to see if you have underlying issues, like a sleep disorder, that may need to be treated. They just might shine a light on the path to quality sleep.

Sources:

• https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/10/realestate/light-bulbs-that-help-you-sleep.html
• https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/blue-light-has-a-dark-side
• https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/05/well/family/children-sleep-light-melatonin.html
• https://www.cnet.com/how-to/why-your-next-light-bulb-should-be-a-smart-bulb/
• https://www.medicaldaily.com/lack-sleep-light-night-can-raise-cancer-risk-238184
• http://time.com/5189387/dark-room-sleep-study/ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2178090/Too-light-night-causes-depression.html

This blog provides general information about sleep and sleep products. The words and other content provided in this blog, and in any linked materials, are not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified heath care professional. This blog should not be construed as medical advice or used to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease or condition. If the reader or any other person has a medical concern, he or she should consult with an appropriately-licensed physician or other health care professional. This blog is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, and should not be relied upon to make decisions about your health or the health of others. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this blog or elsewhere on bettersleep.org. If you think you may have a medical emergency, immediately call your doctor or dial 911.