Sleep & Stocks: How the Market Keeps Investors Up at Night

A big earnings report or a sharp selloff doesn’t stop mattering when the market closes. For many investors, the day’s moves follow them to bed. They check prices one last time before sleep, replay a bad trade in their heads, or wake up at 3 a.m. to see what changed overnight.

That lost sleep doesn’t stay in the bedroom, either. It can shape how investors feel, think, and trade the next morning.

Eachnight surveyed 1,009 U.S. investors to find out how the markets affect their sleep, and how poor sleep affects the money decisions they make the next day. The results show that for a lot of people, investing doesn’t end when the closing bell rings.

The Market Doesn’t Clock Out at Bedtime

For a lot of investors, the trading day doesn’t really end when the market closes.

Here’s how the market showed up in investors’ nights:

• Bedtime market-checking is the norm. Most investors (58%) check the market from bed as the last thing before they fall asleep, the single most common nighttime habit, and 31% do it every week. More than a third (35%) have woken in the middle of the night just to check a position or place a trade.
• Trading days start with less sleep. More than 2 in 5 investors (44%) get under 7 hours before a trading day, sleeping about 0.4 hours less than usual (6.5 vs. 6.9 hours). On average, investors lose 1.4 nights of sleep a month after a bad day in the market.
• Volatility is the biggest sleep disruptor. About a third of investors (31%) say market swings worsen their sleep, rising to 43% among those who follow the market closely. A large loss was the event most likely to keep them up (60%), and selloffs cost roughly three times more sleep than rallies (22% vs. 7%).
• Crypto-first investors lose the most sleep. Half (50%) have woken at night to check a position, compared with 28% of index investors, and 41% say volatility worsens their sleep, versus 26%. About a quarter of crypto holders (26%) say their rest suffers because the market never closes.
• Younger investors give up the most nights. Gen Z lead the way, with 45% losing at least one night of sleep to the market in the past month, ahead of Gen X (36%), millennials (35%), and baby boomers (22%).
• The middle of the experience curve feels it most. Among investors with 3 to 5 years in the market, 45% have woken at night to check a position, compared with 26% of those investing for 11 or more years. Mid-size portfolios ($1,000 to $100,000) report more lost sleep than either the smallest or the largest portfolios.
• Nvidia earnings reached into investors’ nights. More than a quarter of investors (28%) currently hold Nvidia, and its pre-earnings dip cost sleep for 37% of them. Overall, 15% of holders say the stock has kept them up at night, a figure that rose to 50% among Gen Z holders.

“Investing doesn’t necessarily stop when the market closes,” says Jasmin Lee, sleep writer at eachnight. “For many people, checking positions has become part of their bedtime routine, and a difficult day in the market can follow them into the night.”

Furthermore, losing sleep around big earnings news may matter more than it seems. A 2024 study in The European Journal of Finance looked at company earnings reports from 1993 to 2018 of company earnings reports. In the days after the spring clock change, when many people lose an hour of sleep, stock prices reacted about 36% less to surprise earnings news. Prices then caught up over the next two weeks or so. The researchers say tired investors seem to miss key details at first and come back to them once their sleep recovers.

And for who is losing the most sleep, crypto’s nonstop pace may play a part. A 2024 paperVerified Source National Library of Medicine (NIH)World’s largest medical library, making biomedical data and information more accessible.View source on problematic trading in Trends in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy notes that crypto prices can swing sharply in a short time and are shaped more by social media than most other investments. The authors also point out that checking price moves over and over, even among casual investors, may cut into sleep and make it harder to get through the day.

How Poor Sleep Shows Up in Your Portfolio

Good sleep and good decisions tend to show up together, and investors can feel the difference the next morning.

Here’s how sleep and decision-making lined up in the data:

• Good sleep gets the credit for good calls. More than 2 in 5 investors (42%) say their best decisions come after a good night of sleep. By contrast, 40% say they make worse financial decisions when they haven’t slept well, and 46% say their trading behavior changes after a poor night.
• Lack of sleep nudges investors toward risk. Nearly 3 in 10 (29%) say poor sleep makes them more likely to make an impulsive, unplanned trade, and about a quarter (26%) say it pushes them toward bigger risks. Running on little sleep makes 38% feel more anxious about their open positions.
• Market stress carries into the next day. Nearly half of investors (45%) say they bring market stress into the following day. They report feeling on edge (26%), too tired to focus (24%), finding it harder to think clearly (20%), and second-guessing a money decision (17%).
• Poor sleep pushes Gen Z toward riskier trades. When they don’t get enough sleep, 42% of Gen Z investors say they are more likely to trade impulsively, compared with 11% of baby boomers. And 38% say they are more likely to try to recoup a loss after a restless night.
• Crypto-first investors react the hardest. Among them, 39% say poor sleep makes them more likely to trade impulsively, the highest share of any asset class.
• Many investors already protect their sleep. More than 2 in 5 (43%) have sold or closed a position specifically to stop worrying about it and rest easier. Even so, only 15% treat sleep as part of their investing strategy, while 53% do not.

Those who do may be onto something. An eachnight survey of 795 employed adults found that the strongest career performers slept about the same number of hours as everyone else but rated their sleep good or excellent far more often (60% vs. 43%). The biggest difference was a steady sleep schedule. People who kept one were 10 times more likely to say they slept well.

Research on real investors points the same way. A 2025 study of 405 individual investors in the Journal of Business Economics and Management found that better sleep quality was linked with stronger returns among passive, buy-and-hold investors. How long and how well people slept, and whether they took naps, was also tied to how often they traded.

That next-day drag shows up at work, too. A separate eachnight survey of 1,001 employed Americans found that 41% had made a mistake at work because they were too tired. On average, those workers showed up too tired to do their best about 2.4 days a week.

The same age gap between Gen Z and older generations appears on the job, too. In an eachnight survey of 807 employed Americans on the most sleep-deprived professions, 45% of Gen Z workers said lost sleep had led them to make a mistake at work, compared with 24% of Gen X workers.

FAQs

Why does money stress make it hard to fall asleep?

When you worry about money, your body can react as if it’s facing a threat. Your heart rate may stay up and your mind keeps running through “what if” questions, which makes it hard to relax. This is common among investors. In Eachnight’s survey, investors lost an average of 1.4 nights of sleep a month after a bad day in the market, and 60% said a large loss was the event most likely to keep them up.

Is it bad to check your investments right before bed?

It can be. Screen light may make it harder to feel sleepy, and a bad number can leave you wound up right when you want to wind down. Still, it’s a common habit: 58% of investors check the market from bed as the last thing before they fall asleep, and 35% have woken at night just to check a position. Try setting a cutoff time, such as an hour before bed, and keep your phone out of reach once you lie down.

What should you do if you wake up at night worrying about money?

Try not to grab your phone. Checking prices in the middle of the night rarely changes anything you can act on, and it can make it harder to fall back asleep. Keep a notepad by your bed and write down the worry plus one small step you can take in the morning. If you’re still awake after about 20 minutes, get up and do something calm in dim light until you feel sleepy.

Should you make financial decisions when you’re tired?

It’s usually better to wait. Many investors notice the difference: 40% say they make worse money decisions after a poor night’s sleep, and 29% say they’re more likely to make an impulsive trade. On the other hand, 42% say their best decisions come after a good night of sleep. If a choice can wait a day, give yourself a night of rest before you decide.

How can you stop thinking about the market when you’re trying to relax?

Give your worries a set time during the day. Spend 10 to 15 minutes in the early evening reviewing your accounts and writing down any concerns. When those thoughts come back later, you can remind yourself you’ve already handled them. This matters because stress tends to follow people into the next day, too. Nearly half of investors (45%) say they carry market stress into the following day.

Does crypto keep investors up more than stocks?

In Eachnight’s survey, it did. Half of crypto-first investors (50%) have woken at night to check a position, compared with 28% of index fund investors. About a quarter of crypto holders (26%) say the market that never closes makes their sleep worse. If you hold crypto, setting firm “off” hours for checking prices can help, since the market itself never takes a break.

Can a long-term investing plan help you sleep better?

It may ease the worry that keeps you up. A clear plan that fits your goals and your comfort with risk can make daily swings feel less urgent. Some investors take a more direct step: 43% have sold or closed a position just to stop worrying about it. If one investment keeps you awake often, it may be more risk than you’re comfortable holding. A financial professional can help you build a plan you feel settled about.

When should you talk to a doctor about stress and sleep?

If you have trouble falling or staying asleep several nights a week for more than a few weeks, it’s a good idea to talk with a doctor. The same goes if stress is getting in the way of your work, relationships, or daily life. A doctor can help you find the cause and talk through options that fit you.

Rest Is Part of the Strategy

The market will always have good days and bad days. What investors can control is how much of it they carry to bed. Our survey found that many investors lose sleep to market swings, and that poor sleep can push them toward rushed, riskier choices the next day.

Yet only 15% of investors treat sleep as part of their investing strategy. That gap is worth closing. A few simple habits can help, such as setting a cutoff time for checking accounts, keeping your phone out of reach at night, and waiting until morning to make big decisions. Investors who are rested may find it easier to stick to their plans when the market gets bumpy.

A good night of sleep won’t change what the market does tomorrow. But it can help you face it with a clearer head.

Methodology

Eachnight surveyed 1,009 U.S. investors to understand how the markets affect their sleep, and how poor sleep affects their investing decisions.

The survey was fielded through CloudResearch Connect in September 2026. Respondents ranged in age from 18 to 83, with an average age of 41. At a 95% confidence level, the margin of error for the full sample is approximately ±3.1 %. Respondents were broken down by the demographics used in this campaign as follows:

Generation

• Gen Z, ages 18 to 29: 172 (17%)
• Millennials, ages 30 to 45: 517 (51%)
• Gen X, ages 46 to 61: 244 (24%)
• Baby boomers, ages 62 and older: 76 (8%)

Gender

• Male: 510 (51%)
• Female: 499 (49%)

Annual income

• Under $50,000: 267 (26%)
• $50,000 to $99,999: 444 (44%)
• $100,000 to $149,999: 173 (17%)
• $150,000 or more: 125 (12%)

Primary asset class

• Individual stocks: 441 (44%)
• Index funds or ETFs: 376 (37%)
• Cryptocurrency: 111 (11%)
• Other: 81 (8%)

Portfolio size

• Under $1,000: 116 (11%)
• $1,000 to $9,999: 170 (17%)
• $10,000 to $49,999: 184 (18%)
• $50,000 to $99,999: 158 (16%)
• $100,000 to $499,999: 201 (20%)
• $500,000 or more: 108 (11%)
• Prefer not to say: 72 (7%)

Investing experience

• 0 to 2 years: 192 (19%)
• 3 to 5 years: 284 (28%)
• 6 to 10 years: 263 (26%)
• 11 or more years: 270 (27%)

Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number and may not total 100. For questions asking respondents to select all that apply, percentages reflect the share of respondents who chose each option and can sum to more than 100.

For open-ended numeric questions, such as hours of sleep and nights of sleep lost, averages were calculated both across all valid responses and after removing statistical outliers using the interquartile range (IQR) method.

Demographic findings are reported only for groups representing at least 5% of the sample.

About eachnight

Eachnight is a sleep resource dedicated to helping people rest better, with research-backed guides on sleep habits, bedtime routines, and finding the right mattress. If a restless market has been cutting into your nights, eachnight’s guide to the best mattress is a practical place to start building steadier, more restful sleep.

Fair Use Statement

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