WebMD survey of more than 2,000 people, conducted in 2021.
A recent survey conducted by WebMD revealed the factors that affect the amount and quality of sleep of people in the US. Age, gender, location, weight, employment status, household size, race and ethnicity all have an impact on the amount and quality of sleep.
The survey found that older people have more disruptions to their sleep and spend less time in the deepest stages of sleep. People aged 65 and up reported the highest rate of good or very good sleep quality (80%), followed by those aged 35-44 (also 80%). People aged 45-54 were least likely to report high-quality sleep (67%), followed closely by those aged 55-64 and 25-34 (both 68%).
Women are more prone to insomnia than men, and the survey found that 32% of women reported poor sleep, compared to 22% of men. Women were also less likely to get 7 or more hours of sleep per night.
When it comes to location, the region of the US a person lives in doesn't seem to have much effect on their sleep. However, people living in urban areas were slightly more likely to report good sleep quality (83%) than those living in rural areas (65%) or suburban areas (67%).
Obese people (defined as a body mass index, or BMI, of 30 or more) were more likely to report poor sleep quality (37%) than those who are overweight (31%) or have a healthy BMI (30%).
People who worked full time were most likely to report good-quality sleep (81%). The survey also found that bigger households equaled better sleep, with 85% of people living in households of 5 or more people reporting good-sleep quality, compared to 64% of households with 6 or more people.
Asian people and those with a Hispanic background were most likely to report they slept well, while Black people were less likely to report good-quality sleep.
The survey highlights the importance of understanding the factors that affect sleep, and how different people in different circumstances are affected differently.