If you’re not getting enough sleep, you’re not alone. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a whopping one in three American adults aren’t getting enough shut-eye.
So why is America so sleepy? Sometimes the stress and anxiety of everyday life — like work, family and social obligations — can get in the way of a restful night’s snooze. Other times, lack of sleep may be due to something a little simpler. Here are five surprising sleep thieves — and what to do about them.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). FastStats: Sleep in adults.
Harvard Medical School. (2021). 8 reasons why you’re not sleeping.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (2022). Healthy sleep habits.
Why trust our experts?
Written by:
Brittany DoohanBrittany Doohan was the Content Director at HealthiNation and is currently the Editorial Director at Medscape. Through her work with Medscape, she won a Silver Telly Award in May 2022 for "Sleepless Nation: A Public Health Epidemic — Episode 2: A Decade Without a Diagnosis." She has worked in health journalism and video production for more than 8 years, and loves the challenge of explaining complex topics in an easy-to-understand and creative way.
Reviewed by:
Karen Hovav, MD, FAAPKaren Hovav, MD, FAAP, has more than 15 years of experience as an attending pediatrician. She has worked in a large academic center in an urban city, a small community hospital, a private practice, and an urgent care clinic.
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