News/Commentary

Snooze Report: Nearly 4 out of 5 adults risk mental health issues due to lack of sleep

November 1, 2023 | | Print Article

A new report highlights the fact that the majority of adults don’t get enough sleep due to a long list of reasons and it’s compromising their mental health.

Everything from pets, children, money troubles, disruptive partners, and current events are keeping people up at night and according to Calm’s “Snooze Report,” it’s getting worse. Calm makes a sleep and meditation app to help send adults off to dreamland.

“In 2023, the phrase “I’m tired” reached its highest frequency in Google searches — suggesting that people are battling fatigue more than ever before,” Fox News reported. “Daylight Saving Time, which ends next week, could create even more sleep struggles. (Clocks are set back one hour on Nov. 5.)”

The report is in response to Daylight Savings time and the effect it has on individuals’ sleeping habits.

“We timed the launch of Calm’s first-ever Snooze Report to the Daylight Saving transition, as we know it’s an adjustment that consistently impacts people’s sleep schedules,” Dr. Chris Mosunic, Calm’s chief clinical officer and clinical psychologist in San Francisco, stated.

The survey, conducted by researchers, was fairly extensive. It queried 9,500 people from 10 US cities and 10 UK cities, aged between 18 and 65. Participants were asked about their sleeping habits and what disturbs them. Topics covered in the survey included “relationships, generational differences, and significant stressors.”

The findings were disturbing. Approximately 91% of adults claim they are “not rested” or they “feel tired,” at least periodically.

“The Snooze Report helped us to uncover some of the top trends that define our relationship with sleep, including the profound connection between sleep and mental health,” Mosunic contended.

The report shows that mental health and sleep are “inextricably linked.”

“Most survey respondents (78%) said a lack of sleep is negatively affecting their mental health,” Fox News noted. “More than two in three adults cited seven hours as the required amount of sleep for better mental health — but only one in three get that amount.”

“Nearly 75% of them are open to trying new strategies to get better sleep. Almost half the respondents (42%) said they can’t sleep without some type of aid, including medication, marijuana/cannabis or alcohol,” the news outlet added.

Young people under the age of 40 are having their own challenges with shut-eye as well. According to the “Snooze Report,” Millennials and Gen Z are not only having trouble falling asleep, they struggle with staying asleep. Forty-six percent of Gen Z have trouble nodding off while 25% of millennials have the same problem.

The report asserts that one in four young people cite caffeine as the reason they have trouble sleeping. Gen Z is reportedly 25% more likely to forego a “good morning routine” after not being able to sleep.

Thirty-eight percent of Gen Z participants noted that current events are keeping them up at night. Twenty-nine percent of millennials make a similar claim.

When it comes to technology, 26% more of the Gen Z crowd forego sleep compared to millennials according to the survey.

“A survey from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine found that 93% of Gen Z have lost sleep because they stayed up ‘past their bedtime’ to view or participate in social media,” Dr. Raj Dasgupta, chief medical adviser at Sleep Advisor in California, who was not involved in the study, pointed out.

“It was eye-opening to see the differences between Gen Z and millennials, two groups who are close in age and are often lumped together, but have different relationships with falling asleep,” Mosunic commented.

The study also noted that people dream about things that are familiar to them. Thirty percent dream about what they have done that day, as well as “romantic or intimate experiences.” Seventy-four percent of those surveyed know the people in their nightmares according to the report.

Roughly 10% of people dream about dying.

Then there is the old standby of money worries that keep people up at night. It’s the most common reason people have trouble sleeping according to the survey.

“Financial worries cause three times the sleep problems as worries about children or the state of the world — and double that of worries about relationships, Calm’s report states,” Fox News reported.

And if money doesn’t keep you up at night, your partner or pets might just do the trick. Snoring or pets jumping on the bed to sleep with their humans definitely puts a damper on sleeping.

“Thirty-nine percent of adults say they sleep better alone than with a partner,” Fox News said referring to the report. “More than half of them (56%) have made changes to their sleep routines to accommodate their partners.”

“Snoring, fighting and having ‘disruptive sleep habits’ are the biggest reasons for partners sleeping in separate rooms, with 46% of adults saying they have difficulty sleeping when not in their own bed,” the news outlet continued.

Calm has launched a sleep hotline for those in distress. The number is 1-844-4-CALM-SLEEP.

“The hotline was created to offer support and provide individuals with effective tools, such as our Sleep Stories and tranquil soundscapes, proven to aid in achieving restful sleep,” Mosunic explained.

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