Trends in self-reported sleep duration among US adults from 1985 to 2012

Ford, Earl S.; Cunningham, Timothy J.; Croft, Janet B.

doi:10.5665/sleep.4684

Cited by 424Sleep and related disordersSleep and Work-Related FatigueCircadian rhythm and melatonin

Trends in self-reported sleep duration among US adults from 1985 to 2012

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Ford, Earl S., Cunningham, Timothy J., Croft, Janet B.·2015·Sleep

DOI 10.5665/sleep.4684PMC PMC4402659

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Abstract

STUDY OBJECTIVE: The trend in sleep duration in the United States population remains uncertain. Our objective was to examine changes in sleep duration from 1985 to 2012 among US adults. DESIGN: Trend analysis. SETTING: Civilian noninstitutional population of the United States. PARTICIPANTS: 324,242 US adults aged ≥ 18 y of the National Health Interview Survey (1985, 1990, and 2004-2012). MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Sleep duration was defined on the basis of the question "On average, how many hours of sleep do you get in a 24-h period?" The age-adjusted mean sleep duration was 7.40 h (standard error [SE] 0.01) in 1985, 7.29 h (SE 0.01) in 1990, 7.18 h (SE 0.01) in 2004, and 7.18 h (SE 0.01) in 2012 (P 2012 versus 1985 < 0.001; P trend 2004-2012 = 0.982). The age-adjusted percentage of adults sleeping ≤ 6 h was 22.3% (SE 0.3) in 1985, 24.4% (SE 0.3) in 1990, 28.6% (SE 0.3) in 2004, and 29.2% (SE 0.3) in 2012 (P 2012 versus 1985 < 0.001; P trend 2004-2012 = 0.050). In 2012, approximately 70.1 million US adults reported sleeping ≤ 6 h. CONCLUSIONS: Since 1985, age-adjusted mean sleep duration has decreased slightly and the percentage of adults sleeping ≤ 6 h increased by 31%. Since 2004, however, mean sleep duration and the percentage of adults sleeping ≤ 6 h have changed little.

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A large proportion of the population do not meet current sleep recommendations of 7-9 h per night.
“As a large proportion of the population do not meet the current sleep recommendations (7–9 h per night) [10,11]”
From Exercise mitigates sleep-loss-induced changes in glucose tolerance, mitochondrial function, sarcoplasmic protein synthesis, and diurnal rhythms (2021) · cites this paper as [11]
Between 1985 and 2012, mean sleep duration decreased and the percentage of adults sleeping ≤ 6 hours in a 24-hour period increased.
“A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) analysis shows that between 1985 and 2012 mean sleep duration decreased and the percentage of adults sleeping ≤ 6 hours in a 24-hour period increased.”
From Joint consensus statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society on the recommended amount of sleep for a healthy adult: methodology and discussion (2015) · cites this paper as [51]
The number of U.S. adults sleeping ≤ 6 hours in a 24-hour period nearly doubled from 38.6 million to 70.1 million.
“This trend represents a near doubling in the number of U.S. adults sleeping ≤ 6 hours in a 24-hour period from 38.6 million to 70.1 million.51”
From Joint consensus statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society on the recommended amount of sleep for a healthy adult: methodology and discussion (2015) · cites this paper as [51]

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Authors: Ford, E. S., Cunningham, T. J., & Croft, J. B.
Affiliations: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US)
Corresponding author: Ford, Earl S.
ORCID: Croft, Janet B.
Venue: Sleep
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published: 2015-05
Volume: 38
Issue: 5
Pages: 829-832
ISSN: 0161-8105 (ISSN-L)
1550-9109
DOI: 10.5665/sleep.4684
PMC: PMC4402659
OpenAlex: W2021027348
Cited by: 424
References: 18
Citations by year: 2026: 14 · 2025: 48 · 2024: 30 · 2023: 52 · 2022: 61 · 2021: 38 · 2020: 57 · 2019: 49 · 2018: 30 · 2017: 18 · 2016: 19 · 2015: 8
FWCI: 37.68
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: green
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Locations: SLEEP (publishedVersion)
PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics: Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and related disorders
Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and Work-Related Fatigue
Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Circadian rhythm and melatonin
Keywords: sleep duration, short sleep duration, self-reported sleep, temporal trends, adults, National Health Interview Survey, insufficient sleep
MeSH terms: Adolescent, Adult, Age Factors, Aged, Aging, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Health Surveys, Humans, Interviews as Topic, Male, Middle Aged, Sleep, Sleep Wake Disorders, Time Factors, United States, Young Adult, Self Report

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Trends in self-reported sleep duration among US adults from 1985 to 2012

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