• Mattress Guides
    • Best Mattresses

    • Best Mattresses of 2023
    • For Side Sleepers
    • For Back Pain
    • Mail Order Mattress
    • Cooling Mattresses
    • Eco-Friendly Mattresses
    • Mattress Types

    • Fiberglass Free Mattresses
    • Memory Foam Mattresses
    • Hybrid Mattresses
    • Innerspring Mattresses
    • Soft Mattresses
    • Firm Mattresses
    • Mattress Reviews

    • Amerisleep Review
    • Zoma Review
    • Vaya Review
    • Avocado Review
    • Eight Sleep Review
    • Mattress Guides

    • Mattress Buying Guide
    • Mattress Sizes
    • Mattress Foundation Sizes
    • Bed Frame Sizes
  • Bedding Guides
    • Comforters & Blankets

    • Best Comforters
    • Best Down Comforters
    • Best Duvets
    • Best Blankets
    • Pillows

    • Best Pillows
    • Best Memory Foam Pillows
    • Best Pillows for Side Sleepers
    • Best Body Pillows
    • Comparisons

    • Cotton vs. Microfiber
    • Duvet vs. Comforter
    • FAQs

    • How to Wash Pillows?
    • How Often to Replace Every Type of Pillow
    • How Long Does it Take to Dry Clean a Comforter?
  • Mattress Resources
    • Mattress Comparison

    • Memory Foam vs. Pillow Top
    • Memory Foam vs. Spring
    • Memory Foam vs. Latex
    • Hybrid vs. Memory Foam
    • Gel Memory Foam vs. Latex
    • Size Comparison

    • King vs. California King
    • King vs. Queen
    • Queen vs. Full
    • Full vs. Twin
    • Twin vs. Twin XL
    • Solutions

    • Mattress Quiz
    • How to Fix a Sagging Mattress
    • How to Fix a Too Soft or Too Firm Mattress
    • How to Dispose of an Old Mattress
  • Sleep Health
    • How-To

    • How to Power Nap
    • How to Stop Snoring
    • How To Wake Up Early: 8 Benefits To Waking Up Early
    • How to Sleep on Your Back
    • Dreams

    • How to Lucid Dream: Techniques, Benefits, and Risks
    • Night Terrors vs. Nightmares
    • What is a Fever Dream?
    • Natural Sleep

    • Natural Herbs For Sleep
    • Essential Oils for Sleep
Home / Sleep Studies / Been sleeping less this last year? Well you’re not alone…
Sleep Studies

Been sleeping less this last year? Well you’re not alone…

by Jasmin Lee Comment on Been sleeping less this last year? Well you’re not alone…

Eachnight may earn commissions for products you purchase through our links. Our articles and reviews include affiliate links and advertisements, including amerisleep advertising. Learn more

Updated April 13, 2021

Since the beginning of the last decade health and wellness has become one of the largest trends in the world, with billions of people around the globe putting more time, money and effort into ensuring their mind and body are as healthy as can be. However, one area of people’s health which has been overlooked time and time again for a countless number of years is sleep. 

One of the most common misconceptions about sleep is that the amount you get is the most important thing to factor in, when in fact what people should be focusing on is the quality of sleep they’re achieving. Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic we’ve noticed a huge spike in the number of people visiting our site looking for help improving the quality of their sleep, so we decided to look further into the issue, and how COVID-19 might be affecting our sleep habits…

2019 vs 2020 Sleep

To do this we surveyed more than 5,000 Americans, and tracked their sleep app data, to reveal how many people across the United States had been getting enough REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, and how that number had changed since 2019.

During the study we discovered that Americans had 30% less ‘general sleep’ in 2020 than in 2019, as well as 64% less REM sleep –  which dropped from 87 minutes, to less than 53 minutes – meaning that most Americans were getting less than the recommended/needed amount of REM sleep.

REM Sleep is the deepest level of sleep, and is considered to be essential to remaining healthy and feeling rested. Rapid Eye Movement sleep is present in all mammals, and allows us to dream vividly. It’s estimated that the average person has about 1-2 hours (12.5% – 25%) of REM sleep for every 8 hours of normal sleep*.

When asked why they thought their amount and quality of sleep had declined, nearly all (96%) of the people we spoke to selected a COVID-19 related issue. 

For example, more than a third (34%) stated it was due to ‘remote working’ and ‘being unable to switch off’, while a further quarter (25%) said it was owing to ‘COVID Insomnia’. 

The third most common reason was ‘lack of everyday stimuli’ with 21% of respondents choosing this option, followed by ‘lack of exercise due to lockdown’ with 16% of the votes.

When asked whether they believed their sleep patterns/habits had worsened, nearly all (93%) of respondents selected ‘yes’. Of these respondents more than four fifths (84%) stated the changes in their routines/sleep habits have had a negative effect on their mental or physical health/wellbeing.

Looking at the data, we also found that women tended to have better sleeping habits, with more than a third (36%) of women getting more ‘general sleep’ than men, while a further 27% had a higher amount of REM sleep than men. 

To dig deeper into the issue, we decided to delve into some Google Trends data, and discovered that the the number of searches relating to COVID-19 Insomnia had risen by more than 5000%+ across a series of different search terms, including; ‘covid insomnia’, ‘coronavirus insomnia’, and ‘covid and insomnia’, among others. 

As part of the survey, we also asked each of our respondents for access to their sleeping app data, in order to better understand the quality of sleep being enjoyed in the United States as a whole. 

The tracked data revealed that the amount of REM sleep compared with 2019 had decreased by nearly two thirds (64%) from 87 minutes to 53 minutes, and that the total amount of sleep people had been getting had dropped by 30%. On top of this though, we also discovered that people had been going to bed two hours later on average. 

In 2019 people most commonly went to bed between 10pm and 11pm, however in 2020 this changed to 12pm and 1am. Despite this later bedtime though, more than 60% of people were still getting up within the same time period the following morning.

The data also revealed that the average American’s heart rate when sleeping had risen by 21bpm across the board, from 63bpm to 84bpm. When speaking with the respondents on this issue, we discovered that more than three quarters (77%) had been feeling ‘more stressed’ since the beginning of the pandemic, while a further 56% admitted to ‘living an unhealthy’ lifestyle in 2020 compared with 2019.

Jasmin Lee, Wellness Writer at  Eachnight, said, 

“When we launched eachnight, our mission was to improve the sleep and overall wellness of as many people as we possibly could, and our drive to achieve this goal hasn’t wavered. That’s why we think it’s so important to gain an understanding of the general public’s sleep patterns and behaviours, and is the reason we decided to carry out this survey. 

“To be honest when I saw the results they didn’t surprise me at all, we’re living in an unprecedented time full of worry, uncertainty and disruption. With the added stress of the past year for almost everyone,  and as more and more people began working from home it was inevitable that quality of sleep in the United States was going to take a hit. We know that being in the same environment for 24 hours a day without breaking up your settings or stimulating your brain almost always has a negative effect on our brain in terms of getting some shut-eye.

“Our hope is that as we begin to return to a sense of normality, and COVID is eventually put behind us, that sleep will again begin to improve – as it is one of the pillar stones of health, not just mental, but also physical.”

Source:

*https://www.healthline.com/health/how-much-deep-sleep-do-you-need#takeaway

About the author
Jasmin Lee

Jasmin Lee is dedicated to helping others get better sleep—when she’s not napping, you can often find her researching the latest in bedding and mattress technology. Her fascination with sleep fuels her drive to connect readers with the resources they need to improve their night’s rest.

Find more articles by Jasmin

Comments

Cancel reply

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

What’s the best mattress?

Best Mattress

We’ve spent countless hours finding the best mattresses out there so you don’t have to hunt for them.

See Our Best Mattress Picks

Sleep Studies

Shower, Then Sleep?
Shower, Then Sleep? Exploring How Showering Preferences Affect Life Aspects
Andrea Strand
Get Paid to Sleep
Get paid to nap and test the best mattresses? We’ll pay you $1500 to nap!
Jasmin Lee
Traveling During COVID-19
Travel Essentials During COVID-19
Jasmin Lee

EachNight Fact-Checking Standards and Processes

The EachNight writing team is devoted to creating articles that are not only entertaining and easy to understand but also as impartial, accurate, and well-sourced as possible. Whenever possible, we strive to have our articles fact-checked by our independent review board. We also do not tolerate plagiarism or ill intent from our contributors.

Here are the medical and factual guidelines that a EachNight article must adhere to:

  • We draw upon only reputable and respectable sources when researching our articles’ topics and endeavor to only link to highly authoritative sources. Such sources would include peer-reviewed medical and academic journals, medical and academic associations in good standing, and interviews with or blog posts from certified medical professionals.
  • We may link to news articles or peer-reviewed medical blog posts about studies when appropriate, but always attempt to connect directly to the studies these pages discuss.
  • Our scientific information, conclusions, and analysis are always supported by at least one reputable source.
  • We strive to make any potential conflicts of interest attached to any studies or sources clear to our readers. When applicable, we also try to include conflicting research or questions that may throw a study’s conclusion into doubt to clarify that scientific understandings often change and progress over time.
  • Our articles typically link to other articles and resources on our site. This is solely for easier navigation, and we do not promote our website as a medical resource. Try to speak with your physician if you have medical concerns.
  • Any necessary background information on a topic will be included when appropriate.
  • Our goal is for every one of our medical-related articles to be reviewed by our independent board of experts. Should they spot any medical or health-related misinformation or errors, we will strike it out from the final published article.

What’s a Certified Sleep Coach?

Our writers are sleep coaches certified by the Spencer Institute, which has been training coaches since 1992. Becoming a certified sleep coach means that our writers are well-versed in various sleep science matters, taking us beyond being just a group of mattress reviewers. The certification allows us an in-depth understanding of what we’re talking about when it comes to advising readers on better sleep habits.

About Us

Our simple goal is to provide the information you need to get better sleep each night. We provide a full-circle approach to sleep and wellness that incorporates mental, physical, and environmental well-being.

Company

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure
  • Expert Review Board

Our Guides

  • Mattress Guides
  • Mattress Reviews
  • Best Mattress
  • Mattress Quiz
  • Sleep Health
  • Sleep Calculator
  • Mattress Sizes

Newsletter

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to find out about content, features and more happening at eachnight.

You must enter a valid email.
Each Night Logo

Copyright © 2023 eachnight. All rights reserved.