Epidemic Of Daytime Sleepiness Linked To Americans' Anger, Stress, Pessimism; Nat'l Sleep Foundation Poll Shows 'You Are How You Sleep'

4/2/2002

From: Donna Lorenson, 202-974-5010; Debra Fischman, 202-974-5024; Marcia Stein, 202-347-3471, ext. 205; or Shannon Polyak, 202-347-3471, ext. 217 all of the National Sleep Foundation (NSF)

WASHINGTON, April 2 -- Many problems and frustrations that have become part of the American way of life, from anger and stress to obesity, may have inadequate sleep and widespread sleep problems as contributing factors, according to a poll released today by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF).

Poll results show that while many Americans enjoy the benefits of sufficient sleep, as many as 47 million adults may be putting themselves at risk for injury, and health and behavior problems because they aren't meeting their minimum sleep need in order to be fully alert the next day. People in this army of the walking tired are more likely to sit and seethe in traffic jams, quarrel with other people, or overeat, according to the findings.

"The 2002 Sleep in America poll establishes a direct association between how Americans are sleeping and their overall behavior, mood, and performance," said NSF's Executive Director, Richard L. Gelula. "It provides new evidence that the quality and quantity of our sleep plays a significant role in our daily lives. In sum, the poll results paint a new and unique profile of Americans that shows 'you are how you sleep.'" Based on the findings, Gelula noted, "Some of the problems we face as a society -- from road rage to obesity -- may be linked to lack of sleep or poor sleep."

The poll compared how respondents described their general moods and attitudes on a typical day with their answers to a number of questions about their sleep. The conclusions suggest a direct correlation between more sleep and heightened daytime alertness with positive feelings that include a sense of peace, satisfaction with life, and being full of energy. Shorter sleep periods and greater indications of daytime sleepiness were related to negative moods such as anger, stress, pessimism, and fatigue.

"This is the first time we've actually linked people's mood to their sleep habits in our annual nationwide poll," said NSF President James K. Walsh, Ph.D. "Scientists have documented the link between sleep deprivation, mood and performance in the lab before. But this is the first large-scale view of the extent to which insufficient sleep plays out in the real world each day." Walsh added. Dr. Walsh is executive director and senior scientist at St. Luke's Hospital Sleep Medicine & Research Center in Chesterfield, Mo.

The poll found that nearly one-quarter of American adults, or 47 million people, aren't getting the minimum amount of sleep they said they need to be alert the next day, resulting in what appears to be an epidemic of daytime sleepiness that can impact cognition, performance, and state of mind. Nearly two in five of those polled (37 percent) said they are so sleepy during the day it interferes with their activities at least a few days a month, and one in six (16 percent) said they experience this level of daytime sleepiness at least a few days a week.

The poll results provide a clear link between the quantity and quality of respondents' sleep and their self-described overall mood. A mood and attitude score was calculated for each respondent and these scores were compared for different types of sleepers. The less respondents said they slept, the more they experienced daytime sleepiness, insomnia and other sleep problems, and, in turn, the lower their positive mood and attitude scores.

-- Those who got fewer than six hours of sleep on weekdays were more likely to say they were tired than those getting more than eight hours of sleep (32 percent vs. 15 percent). They were also more likely to describe themselves as stressed (32 percent vs. 16 percent), sad (14 percent vs. 7 percent) and angry (11 percent vs. 4 percent). -- People who reported often being sleepy during the day were more likely to describe themselves as dissatisfied with life (21 percent vs. 7 percent) and angry (12 percent vs. 4 percent) compared to those who were rarely or never sleepy during the day. -- On the other hand, the less people experienced insomnia symptoms, the more likely they were to describe themselves as "full of energy," "relaxed," and "happy."

The poll also examined the impact of insufficient sleep on behavior and ease or difficulty with tasks. Adults said when they did not get enough sleep, they were more likely to get impatient or aggravated with such common annoyances as waiting in line or sitting in traffic (64 percent). They also reported being more likely to make mistakes (65 percent) and have difficulty getting along with others (44 percent). A fourth of adults said they ate more than usual following nights of inadequate sleep.

Sleep and service providers The poll shows that Americans are also concerned about the impact that sleepiness and fatigue can have on certain professionals whose level of alertness is necessary for public health and safety. For example, 86 percent said they would be anxious about their safety if they learned their surgeon had been on duty 24 consecutive hours. The poll found widespread public support for limiting work hours for physicians, nurses, airline pilots, truck drivers and the police. These findings conflict with general workplace regulations that typically allow for much longer hours of work.

Sleep Problems -- 2002 A majority of respondents (74 percent) said they frequently experienced at least one symptom of a sleep problem in the last year, a small but significant increase over the 2001 poll (69 percent) and those in previous years (62 percent). The most prevalent sleep problem is insomnia; 58 percent of Americans said they experienced at least one symptom of insomnia at least a few nights a week, and more than one-third (35 percent) reported having such a symptom every night or almost every night in the past year.

Americans' Sleep Habits According to NSF's annual Sleep in America polls, the overall sleep habits of America's adults have remained fairly consistent since the first poll in 1998, though the 2002 results show what may be a slight trend towards less sleep. Respondents said they sleep an average of 6.9 hours per night on weeknights and 7.5 hours per night on weekends, with a significant proportion (39 percent) sleeping less than seven hours on weeknights. Compared to one year ago, fewer adults appear to be getting eight or more hours of sleep each night (38 percent vs. 30 percent).

--- WB&A Market Research conducted this year's poll for NSF using a random sample of 1,010 adults at least 18 years of age who were interviewed by telephone between October1 and December 10, 2001. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 percent.

EDITORS NOTE: Visit the NSF Web site, www.sleepfoundation.org. for expanded news releases on the poll and an executive summary of the findings. Dr. Walsh, Richard Gelula, and other sleep experts are available for interviews.

ATTENTION BROADCAST MEDIA: VNR AND ANR AVAILABLE Two satellite feeds of a VNR with a fully produced report plus B-roll will be available Tuesday, April 2 from l0-10:30 a.m. ET, and from 1-1:30 p.m. ET. Coordinates for both: Galaxy 11, Transponder 8, C-Band; Downlink Freq: 3860 (V).

A one-minute fully produced ANR is available from Tuesday, April 2 - Tuesday, April 9. Stations can record the report from an audio bite line by calling the toll-free number, 888-387-8528.

------ The National Sleep Foundation is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to improving public health and safety by achieving greater understanding of sleep and sleep disorders, and by supporting education, sleep-related research, and advocacy. NSF is based in Washington, D.C.