Sleep statistics 2026: The latest data on how much we sleep

In this article:

• How much sleep should you get?
• Sleep requirements by age
• What is a sleep disorder?
• How does lack of sleep affect the brain?
• How common are sleep disorders?
• Sleep and overall health
• The cost of sleeping problems
• Causes of sleep disorders
• Treating sleep disorders
• FAQs

In this article

• How much sleep should you get?
• Sleep requirements by age
• What is a sleep disorder?
• How does lack of sleep affect the brain?
• How common are sleep disorders?
• Sleep and overall health
• The cost of sleeping problems
• Causes of sleep disorders
• Treating sleep disorders
• FAQs

Getting a good night’s sleep is one of the most important things you can do for your health. During sleep, the body can rest and recover for a new day. Not getting enough sleep because of a sleep disorder can negatively impact your health, happiness, and longevity. Let’s look at recent sleep statistics to better understand sleep disorders and how they affect overall health. 

How much sleep should you get?

Not getting enough sleep can be bad for your physical and mental health and cause some unwelcome symptoms, such as a lack of energy, trouble remembering things, a reduced attention span, slowed thinking, a reduced sex drive, poor decision-making, irritability, daytime sleepiness, and other mood changes.

The exact amount of sleep you need will depend on age, but children generally need more sleep than adults to support their growth and development. Below is a helpful guide from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the recommended amount of sleep that someone should get based on their age.

Sleep requirements by age
Age	Hours of sleep needed
0–3 months	14–17
4–11 months	12–16
1–2 years	11–14
3–5 years	10–13
6–12 years	9–12
13–17 years	8–10
18–60 years	7+
61–64 years	7–9
65+	7–8

What is a sleep disorder?

Not getting good sleep regularly may be a sign that you have a sleep disorder. A sleep disorder is a condition that causes chronic sleep deprivation and negatively impacts a person’s quality of life. “Sleep disorders are a group of conditions that are characterized by either poor quality or quantity of sleep,” says Abhinav Singh, MD, the medical director of the Indiana Sleep Center. “In some instances, this can include poor quality of wakefulness that interferes with optimal daytime functioning.” 

A healthcare professional can diagnose someone with a sleep disorder if they have certain symptoms, such as difficulty sleeping at night and excessive sleepiness in the daytime. “After a thorough clinical evaluation by your physician, which typically involves a detailed history of presenting complaints, sleep logs, and possibly sleep studies, the diagnosis can be generally obtained,” Dr. Singh says. There are seven categories of sleep disorders listed in the third edition of the International Classification of Sleep Disorders (ICSD-3): 

1. Insomnia, which means trouble falling or staying asleep
2. Sleep-related breathing disorders, such as snoring and obstructive sleep apnea
3. Central disorders of hypersomnolence, such as narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia
4. Circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders, including jet lag and delayed sleep-wake phase disorder
5. Parasomnias, such as sleepwalking, rapid eye movement (REM) behavior disorder, and sleep paralysis
6. Sleep-related movement disorders, like restless legs syndrome
7. Other sleep disorders

How does lack of sleep affect the brain?

• Lack of sleep affects cognition, behavior, and emotion in a way that’s similar to mild prefrontal lobe dysfunction. (Healthcare, 2018)
• After being awake for 24 hours, people experience cognitive impairment that’s comparable to having a blood alcohol level of 0.10%. (Brain-Apparatus Communication: A Journal of Bacomics, 2025)
• Researchers in Zurich found that insufficient sleep increases risk-seeking behavior, while healthy sleep increases risk-avoidant behavior. (Annals of Neurology, 2017)
• Children who don’t get enough age-appropriate sleep tend to demonstrate poorer social-emotional, behavioral, and executive functions compared to children who get healthy sleep. (Behavioral Concerns and Mental Health, 2017)
• People who experience sleep loss commonly report feeling nervous, tense, irritable, and weak. (Healthcare, 2018)
• Planning, coping, and problem-solving skills decrease in people who are sleep-impaired. (Healthcare, 2018)
• People who say they’re satisfied with their sleep are more likely to lead positive, “flourishing” lives. (National Sleep Foundation, 2025) 

How common are sleep disorders? 

• Twenty-five percent of survey respondents have reportedly been diagnosed with a sleep disorder. (SingleCare, 2024)
• About 50–70 million adults in the U.S. have a sleep disorder. (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 2022)
• About 60% of adults don’t get enough sleep. (The National Sleep Foundation, 2025)
• An estimated 11% to 22% of U.S. adults have obstructive sleep apnea. (The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 2025) 
• About 30% to 40% of U.S. adults report symptoms of insomnia at some point each year. (American Journal of Managed Care, 2020) 
• Surveys suggest 20% to 32% of people experience sleep disturbances. (Healthcare, 2018)
• 89% of people report waking up at least once each night, and 15% say they take at least one nap per day. (SingleCare, 2024)

Sleep statistics worldwide

• More than 30% of adults worldwide have reported experiencing insomnia symptoms. (The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 2021) 
• Approximately 16% of adults around the world have been diagnosed with insomnia. (Sleep Medicine Reviews, 2025)
• In the Netherlands, 27.3% of people aged 12 and older have a sleep disorder. (Healthcare, 2018)
• In the South Tyrol province of Italy, 28.2% of survey respondents said they don’t get enough sleep. (Clocks & Sleep, 2025)
• Sleep disorders affect more than 300 million people in China. (Brain-Apparatus Communication: A Journal of Bacomics, 2025)
• Worldwide, people get an average of 6.8 hours of sleep. About 100 years ago, the average sleep duration was 9 hours per night. (Sleep Medicine: X, 2025)
• Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common sleep disorder among older adults worldwide and affects 46% of this population. (Sleep Medicine, 2024)

National sleep statistics

The prevalence of sleep disorders in the United States is so high that the CDC declared insufficient sleep a public health problem. Here are some national statistics on sleep loss in the U.S.:

• 30% to 52% of U.S. adults don’t get enough sleep on a regular basis. (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2022; Brain-Apparatus Communication: A Journal of Bacomics, 2025)
• 30% to 46% of U.S. adults reported getting less than 7 hours of sleep per night in 2022, with Vermonters getting the most sleep and Hawaiians getting the least. (CDC, 2024)
• Sleep deprivation statistics show people living in Greene County, Alabama, get the worst sleep in America, with only 52% of residents getting adequate sleep. (CDC, 2024)
• 88% of American adults reportedly lose sleep due to binge-watching TV shows. (American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), 2019) 
• Up to 20% of Americans experience excessive daytime sleepiness. (American Brain Foundation)
• 7 of the 15 leading causes of death in the U.S. are linked to poor sleep quality. (Healthcare, 2018) 
• Nearly 1 in 4 Americans say they rarely or never wake up feeling rested. (AASM, 2023)
• 51% of people living on the West Coast say they often or always wake up feeling rested, which is the highest percentage of any region in the US. People in the South report the lowest percentage at 37%. (AASM, 2023)

Sleep statistics by sex

• Women are two times more likely to experience insomnia compared to men. (American Medical Association (AMA), 2025)
• 31% of women say they rarely or never wake up feeling rested, which is nearly double the rate reported among men. (AASM, 2023)
• Obstructive sleep apnea becomes more common among women after menopause, with up to one in four women experiencing it. (AMA, 2025)
• Menopause and sleep disturbances are closely linked, with up to 69% of women reporting sleep problems during this time. (Menopause, 2024)
• Symptoms of sleep apnea look different in men and women, such that up to 90% of women with severe apnea remain undiagnosed. (AMA, 2025)
• 41% of men say they go to bed at a non-preferred time in order to accommodate their partner’s sleep routine. 33% of women report the same. (AASM, 2025)
• Up to 50% of women experience a sleep disorder during pregnancy, and sleep disorders are more common in the third trimester. (Obstetric Medicine, 2025)
• The sleep disorder restless leg syndrome is more common among women than among men. (MedlinePlus, 2023) 
• Two-thirds of women with infertility report poor sleep quality compared to half of all fertile women. There’s no significant difference in sleep quality between men with infertility and fertile men. (Sleep Medicine: X, 2025)
• Women with a lower quality or quantity of eggs are 30 times more likely to have a sleep disorder. (Sleep Medicine: X, 2025)
• 50% of women and 44% of men say they always or often experience disrupted sleep due to stress. (AASM, 2024)
• 50% of men and 33% of women say they’ve felt drowsy at the wheel and felt it impaired their ability to drive safely. (AASM, 2025)

Sleep statistics by age

• 30% of people aged 55–64 say they rarely or never wake up feeling rested, which is the largest percentage of any age group. (AASM, 2023)
• 46% of people aged 35–44 say they often or always wake up feeling rested, which is the largest percentage of any age group. (AASM, 2023)
• Stress is more likely to cause disrupted sleep in people aged 18–24 (62%), and stress-related sleep disruptions become less common with age. (AASM, 2024)
• 30% of people aged 35–44 say they don’t sleep in the same room as their partner. (AASM, 2025)
• According to one Italian survey, younger people were more likely to have trouble falling asleep, and older people were more likely to have trouble staying asleep. (Clocks & Sleep, 2025)
• Among children ages 4 months to 14 years, 25% to 50% had insufficient sleep from 2020 to 2021, depending on the state, which is defined by various sleep amounts per year of age. Minnesota children got the most sleep, while Louisiana children got the least. (CDC, 2024)
• Nearly one in three children goes to bed unwillingly, and 30% have trouble falling asleep. (Children, 2025)
• Common sleep disturbances in childhood include nightmares (60%), snoring (44%), and teeth grinding (41%). (Children, 2025)
• About three-quarters of high schoolers reported not getting enough sleep in 2021, which is defined as less than 8 hours of sleep per night for this age group. (CDC, 2024)
• Sleep deprivation in college students statistics suggest more than one third get less than 7 hours of sleep per night, one in three experience daytime sleepiness, and up to 56% of college students have poor sleep quality. (BMC Public Health, 2025; Sleep Health, 2019)
• Between 40% and 70% of older adults have chronic sleep problems, half of which are undiagnosed. (Sleep Medicine Clinics, 2016) 

Sleep aid statistics

About 6% of Americans take medication every day to help improve their sleep. Women and older adults are more likely to take sleep medication.

In a sleep survey, SingleCare found the following sleep aid statistics:

• 20% took natural vitamins and supplements (like melatonin or magnesium)
• 10% took OTC pain relievers (like Tylenol PM or ZzzQuil)
• 9% used marijuana
• 8% used OTC sleep aids (such as Unisom)
• 7% used antihistamines that cause drowsiness (like Benadryl)
• 7% used prescription sleep aids (such as Lunesta, Ambien, or Restoril)
• 6% drank alcohol
• 5% used CBD oil
• 3% reported using other substances for sleep (such as tea or antidepressants)

RELATED: A guide to sleep aids: What are your options?

Sleep and overall health

Consistently getting a good night’s sleep is correlated with better overall health and a higher quality of life. “Current sleep research has shown that sleep may be associated with memory consolidation and emotional regulation, and a lack of sleep may adversely impact these. Improving sleep has been shown to increase performance, cognition, and even help regulate appetite and weight,” Dr. Singh says. 

• The risk of diabetes increases with too little sleep (less than 7 hours) and too much sleep (more than 9 hours). (Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health)
• Not getting enough sleep increases the risk of hypertension by 1.2 to 1.6. (American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 2025)
• Getting an unhealthy amount of sleep, whether too much or not enough, increases the risk of mortality, but longer sleep durations (more than 9 hours) come with the highest risk of mortality. (Journal of the American Heart Association, 2017)
• 37% of people who aren’t satisfied with their sleep are also dissatisfied with their social life. In contrast, 6% of people who say they regularly get good sleep report being unhappy with their social life. (The National Sleep Foundation, 2025)
• Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) affects 50% to 70% of people who experience certain types of strokes (Brain-Apparatus Communication: A Journal of Bacomics, 2025)
• People who sleep less than seven hours per night are more likely to develop obesity than those who sleep more. (BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, 2018)
• A 10% increase in body weight can increase the severity of obstructive sleep apnea by nearly one-third. (Nutrition, Metabolism, and Cardiovascular Diseases, 2025)
• Restless leg syndrome is a sleep disorder that affects about 10% of the population and becomes more common with age. (Nutrition, Metabolism, and Cardiovascular Diseases, 2025)

The cost of sleeping problems

• The U.S. has the highest annual economic loss due to insufficient sleep in the world, with up to $411 billion lost per year. Researchers projected this loss would increase to $456 billion by 2025. (Rand Health Quarterly, 2017)
• People who typically sleep less than 6 hours each night have a 13% higher mortality risk than people who get a healthy amount of sleep. People who average 6–7 hours of sleep per night have a 7% higher mortality risk. (Rand Health Quarterly, 2017)
• Drowsy driving caused around 91,000 motor vehicle crashes in the U.S. in 2017, injuring about 50,000 people and killing almost 800. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
• People who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to miss work, resulting in an average of 6 working days lost per year for individuals who sleep less than 6 hours per night, and about 3.7 working days for people who sleep 6–7 hours. (Rand Health Quarterly, 2017)
• In the U.S., nearly 10 million working hours are lost due to poor sleep. (Rand Health Quarterly, 2017)
• Each year, at least 100,000 deaths occur in U.S. hospitals due to medical errors. Sleep deprivation is a significant contributor to this. (American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 2019)
• The cost of an in-center sleep study ranges from $500 to $3,000. In-home sleep tests typically cost $300 to $600. (Advanced Sleep Medicine Services, Inc.)
• People with insomnia spend an average of about $8,500 on medical expenses each year, and about 75% of that goes toward prescription medications. (Journal of Health Economics and Outcomes Research, 2025)

Causes of sleep disorders

Sleep disorders can be complex to understand because multiple factors can cause them. According to Dr. Singh, there are four potential causes of sleep disorders: 

1. Genetic risk factors: Having a family history of similar disorders may leave you with an increased risk of having a sleep disorder.
2. Anatomy: A narrow oral-nasal passage, a large neck circumference, and jaw shape and size can affect your sleep. Anatomy is a risk factor for sleep-disordered breathing, such as sleep apnea. A common risk factor is increased body weight. 
3. Extrinsic factors: Having poor lifestyle habits, anxiety, stress, consuming alcohol or tobacco close to bedtime, and excessive LED exposure in the evening hours before bed (phones, tablets, etc.) can lead to the onset of sleep disorders. 
4. Medical conditions and medications: Certain medical conditions can adversely impact sleep and ultimately lead to sleep disorders. Things like heartburn, diabetes, depression, PTSD, and schizophrenia can keep people up at night. 

In 2009, researchers in Australia found that people who didn’t get enough sleep were more likely to:

• Work long hours
• Have less education
• Have a lower income
• Be single
• Drink large amounts of alcohol
• Have obesity 
• Have depression or other medical conditions, such as heart disease or diabetes

According to a 2024 survey by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 47% of Americans say they always or often experience disrupted sleep due to stress. 

Treating sleep disorders

Sleep disorders are typically treated with a combination of medical treatments and lifestyle changes. “The body of sleep research is rapidly growing. Wearable technology and home testing have increased sleep health awareness. Behavioral techniques, medications, and medical devices are being researched, and several have been successfully invented and are used to alleviate several sleep disorders,” Dr. Singh says. 

Medications like Silenor (doxepin), Belsomra (suvorexant), and Restoril (temazepam) are used to treat sleep disorders.

RELATED: Restoril vs. Ambien

Making certain lifestyle changes can also help improve your sleep quality and overall well-being. Reducing stress, avoiding alcohol and caffeine, creating good sleeping habits, and sleeping with a white noise machine are all examples of ways to reduce your sleeplessness at home. The exact lifestyle changes you may need to make will vary based on the specific sleep disorder you have, so it’s always a good idea to talk with your healthcare provider before making a major change to your daily routine. 

Sometimes, surgery is necessary to treat sleep disorders like sleep apnea and snoring. Hyoid suspension surgeries, genioglossus advancement, palatal implants, and uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) are all examples of surgeries for sleep apnea and snoring. Surgeries are usually performed as a last resort after other measures, such as lifestyle changes and CPAP machines, have not worked or are not effective enough. Zepbound (tirzepatide) was also recently approved by the FDA to treat moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity. 

If you have trouble sleeping and are wondering how to fix it, the best thing to do is make an appointment with your healthcare provider. He or she will be able to tell you whether you have a sleep disorder and create a treatment plan that fits your lifestyle. 

Sleep questions and answers

What percentage of the population is sleep-deprived?

In 2022, the CDC reported that nearly 37% of all adults in the U.S. experience short sleep duration (less than seven hours). 

How many hours do people sleep on average?

People get an average of 6.8 hours of sleep per night.

Which age group needs the most sleep?

Infants 0–3 months old need the most sleep. They need a total of about 14 to 17 hours in a 24-hour period. 

Do females need more sleep than males?

Studies show women not only need more sleep than men, but they also tend to sleep about 11 minutes longer every night. 

How many hours of sleep do men need?

Men need at least seven hours of sleep, but individual needs may vary.

Is there such a thing as too much sleep? 

Getting enough sleep is important, but consistently sleeping too much may also be associated with certain health problems. Research suggests that regularly getting too much sleep is linked to a higher risk of diabetes, heart disease, depression, obesity, and even stroke. 

How common is insomnia?

Insomnia affects at least 3 in 10 people worldwide.