People Are So Exhausted That They’re Taking PTO Just To Sleep, According To Survey
Most Americans are struggling to get a good night's rest.
Jelena Danilovic | Getty Images It seems the lack of sleep that most Americans are experiencing is catching up with them, to the point where they're using their PTO from work just to be able to finally relax and recharge. In a survey from Amerisleep, a mattress company, researchers learned just how sleep-deprived Americans truly are and what measures they're willing to take just to catch up on those zzz's.
In a survey of more than 1,200 Americans, using Google Trends data to better understand the results, the findings pointed to a growing trend of people using vacation days simply to snooze. They aren't going on vacation or even taking a long weekend road trip. They are using vacation days to sleep.
A survey found that people are so exhausted that they're taking PTO just to sleep.
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Over one-third of Americans (37%) have used PTO days in the past year just to catch up on sleep. Millennials are the most likely to use PTO to sleep (43%) and to take a vacation primarily to rest or sleep (35%), Amerisleep's study found. They found that certain factors, like work demands, access to wellness services, and even local air quality, have made it hard for people to get sleep in various cities across the country.
Some of the cities with the sleepiest residents included Philadelphia, PA, as number one, followed by Laredo, TX, and Jersey City, NJ. Fifty percent of Honolulu, HI, adults sleep fewer than 7 hours per night, which is the highest rate of all cities in this study, while North Las Vegas, Nevada, has the fewest wellness practitioners, with just 1.4 per 100,000 residents.
Not only are Americans not getting enough sleep, but they're also incredibly stressed.
According to a survey from Gallup, a majority of U.S. adults, 57%, said they would feel better if they got more sleep, while 42% said they get as much sleep as they need. Out of all the demographics, it seems young women were the most sleep-deprived. The latest poll found that 36% of women, compared to 48% of men, said they get the sleep they need.
But that lack of sleep isn't just making Americans tired. It's contributing to their stress and the burnout epidemic. According to the American Psychological Association, the relationship between sleep and stress usually goes both ways.
Those who sleep less tend to be more stressed, and those who are more stressed tend to sleep less. The Gallup poll found that 63% of those who reported wanting more sleep said they frequently experience stress, compared with 31% of those who get the sleep they need.
A lack of good sleep is bad for your health.
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Sleep is necessary for the body to run optimally. Consistently getting less than the recommended 7 to 8 hours of uninterrupted good sleep will not only affect your mental well-being, but your physical health as well. People who habitually get less sleep than they need have a higher risk of developing seven out of the 15 leading causes of death in the U.S.
That's not fearmongering. It's facts. From diabetes to cancer, not enough sleep is linked to poor health.
We need sleep to survive, period. The fact that a majority of the country isn't sleeping at night truly reveals a great deal about the factors hindering them. Overwork, stress, the cost of living, the economy, job instability, and a lack of childcare are just a few of the issues that continue to plague Americans who should be resting instead of stressing. On top of that, people are having to use more of their PTO just to function like a normal human being, rather than actually using their time off to do things that bring them joy, like traveling or spending time with loved ones and friends.
Rest has become a luxury, and that's a clear indication that things need to change.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
