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Stressed-Out American Women Have No Time for Sleep:
Stay-at-Home Mothers Most Likely To Sleep Poorly
Washington, DC, March 6, 2007 – More than half of American
women (60%) say they only get a good night’s sleep a few nights per week or
less and 67% say they frequently experience a sleep problem. Additionally,
43% say that daytime sleepiness interferes with their daily activities,
according to a new poll released today by the National Sleep Foundation
(NSF). Women’s lack of sleep affects virtually every aspect of their
time-pressed lives, leaving them late for work, stressed out, too tired for
sex and little time for their friends.
NSF’s 2007 Sleep in America poll sought to look at the sleep patterns of
adult women (ages 18-64), as the NSF’s 2005 Sleep in America poll found that
women are more likely to experience sleep problems than men. The new 2007
poll found that women of all ages are experiencing sleep problems, which
change and increase in severity as they move through the different
biological stages of their lives. Interestingly, lifestyle also plays a
significant, often negative, role in women’s sleep and daytime alertness.
Working mothers (72%) and single working women (68%) are more likely to
experience symptoms of sleep problems like insomnia. But, stay-at-home
mothers report a high level of overall sleep problems, with 74% saying they
are experiencing symptoms of insomnia at least a few nights each week, 59%
saying they frequently wake up feeling un-refreshed and 9% report
co-sleeping with a child or infant, which adds to the sleep disturbances
they experience each night.
American women are struggling to cope with this lack of sleep. Although
women’s lifestyles are compromised due to lack of sleep, they keep going.
Eighty percent of women say that when they experience sleepiness during the
day they just accept it and keep going. However, in order to keep going, 65%
are likely to use caffeinated beverages, with 37% of all women consuming
three or more caffeinated beverages per day. And, despite being frequently
tired, women are not heading to bed earlier. In the hour prior to going to
bed, instead of retiring early, 87% say they watch television, 60% complete
the remainder of their household chores, 37% do activities with children,
36% do activities with other family, 36% are on the Internet and 21% do work
related to their job at least a few nights a week.
Poor sleep is associated with poor mood. The majority of women reported
being bothered by worrying too much about things (80%) and/or being stressed
out or anxious (79%). Sleep problems often co-exist with mood disturbances.
In fact, more than one-half of the women polled (55%) reported that they
felt unhappy, sad or depressed in the past month and one-third (36%)
reported that they recently felt hopeless about the future. The
relationship between sleep and mood is bi-directional. Mood effects can
cause poor sleep and poor sleep can put someone at a greater risk for
symptoms of depression and anxiety. “Women of all ages are burning the
candle at both ends and as a result they are sleepless and stressed out,”
said Richard L. Gelula, NSF’s chief executive officer. “Poor sleep impacts
every aspect of a woman’s life, as well as her health. This year, we are
asking women to take the steps necessary to make healthy sleep a higher
priority in their lives and in the lives of their families.”
Lack of Sleep Disrupts Quality of Life
The Sleep in America poll also finds that a lack of a good night’s sleep is
interfering with a woman’s quality of life. Women report that they often
choose to put healthy activities last on their priority list as they
struggle through their daily lives. When pressed for time, one-half of the
women polled responded that sleep (52%) and exercise (48%) are the first
things they sacrifice. Additionally, more than one-third of women say they
also reduce the amount of time they spend with friends and family (39%),
stop eating healthy (37%) and don’t participate in sexual activity with
their partner (33%) when they run out of time or are too sleepy in a day.
Interestingly, work is the last thing that women say they sacrifice when
pressed for time; only 20% of women responded that they would opt to put
work on the back burner when they run out of time or are too sleepy.
About two-thirds (68%) of the women polled say they were working during the
past month, with almost one-half (46%) saying that they worked full-time.
Some working women (8%) report that they miss work at least once a month due
to sleepiness or a sleep problem. In addition, two in ten say they were late
to work more than once in the past month due to oversleeping (20%) or
feeling too tired when they woke up (19%). About one-half of women who are
working (53%) say that their work schedule is flexible and women between the
ages of 18 and 24 are significantly more likely than their older
counterparts to work non-traditional hours or overnight shifts.
Despite warnings, women are still driving drowsy. More than one-quarter
(27%) of women polled said they have driven drowsy at least once a month in
the past year; 10% of those who had driven drowsy did so with a child in the
car. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conservatively
estimates that up to 100,000 police-reported crashes annually involve
drowsiness or fatigue as a principal causal factor.
“Women who spend less than 7 hours in bed at night are more likely to doze
off during the day, report symptoms of depression, drive drowsy and use
coping mechanisms just to make it through their day,” said Kathryn Lee, Ph.D,
a member of the NSF poll task force. “Furthermore, women tend to compromise
the most important aspects of good health -- diet, exercise and sleep --
when trying to juggle the day’s ongoing responsibilities. Foregoing healthy
lifestyle habits in favor of more time during the day is not the solution.
In fact, it can be detrimental to optimum health and performance.” Dr. Lee
is a Professor of Family Health Care Nursing and the James and Marjorie
Livingston Chair in the School of Nursing at the University of California,
San Francisco.
Sleep and Women's Health
The NSF Sleep in America poll also found poor health and obesity are linked
to an increased frequency of sleep problems. Women who report being in fair
or poor health are significantly more likely than those who report being in
excellent or very good health to:
n
Experience any
symptom of a sleep disorder at least a few nights per week (66% vs. 30%)
n
Have been told
by a doctor that they have a sleep disorder (40% vs. 10%)
n
Experience
daytime sleepiness at least a few days per week (46% vs. 12%)
n
Have missed at
least one day of work because of sleepiness or a sleep problem in the past
month (26% vs. 7%)
n
Use any sleep
aid at least a few nights per week (54% vs. 19%)
n
Women with
height and weight that would be categorized as obese (BMI = 30) are more
likely than those with a BMI classified as overweight or average weight to:
n
Snore at least
a few nights each week (46% vs. 33% for overweight and 21% for average
weight)
n
Experience
daytime sleepiness at least a few days a week (31% vs. 22% for overweight
and 18% for average weight)
n
Use a
prescription sleep aid at least a few nights per week (23% vs. 14% for
overweight and 11% for average weight)
“Adopting healthy behaviors such as eating nutritious foods, being
physically active, watching your weight, and getting enough sleep are
important steps toward living a healthy life," said Janet Collins, Ph.D.,
Director, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health
Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “As a leader
in public health, CDC applauds NSF’s efforts to educate all Americans about
the importance of sleep.”
NSF Background
The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) is an independent nonprofit organization
dedicated to improving public health and safety by achieving greater
understanding of sleep and sleep disorders. NSF furthers its mission
through sleep-related education, research, and advocacy initiatives. NSF’s
membership includes researchers and clinicians focused on sleep medicine as
well as other professionals in the health/medical/science fields,
individuals, and more than 900 sleep clinics throughout North America that
join the Foundation’s Community Sleep Awareness Partners program.
NSF’s financial support comes from a variety of diverse sources, including
memberships, sales of educational materials, advertising, investment income,
individual donations, subscriptions, and educational grants from
foundations, federal agencies, and corporations including pharmaceutical and
non-pharmaceutical companies. Corporate grants are accepted on an
unrestricted basis only. NSF alone determines the ideas and content
published or promoted in its educational programs. NSF relies on positions
of government agencies, the published consensus of sleep and medical
professionals and peer-reviewed, publicized evidence for its public health
recommendations. A list of 2007 contributors can be found on NSF’s Web
site.
NSF does not solicit nor accept funding for its annual Sleep in America
polls; NSF polls are developed by an independent task force of sleep
scientists who provide guidance and expertise in developing the poll
questionnaire and analysis of the data. NSF can be found online at
www.sleepfoundation.org
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