Health

Less than half of Americans say they get enough sleep, new poll shows

Published

2 years ago

April 15, 2024

Less than half of Americans say they get enough sleep, new poll shows

If you’re feeling — YAWN — sleepy or tired while you read this and wish you could get some more shut-eye, you’re not alone. A majority of Americans say they would feel better if they could have more sleep, according to a new poll.

But in the U.S., the ethos of grinding and pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps is ubiquitous, both in the country’s beginnings and our current environment of always-on technology and work hours. And getting enough sleep can seem like a dream.

The Gallup poll, released Monday, found 57% of Americans say they would feel better if they could get more sleep, while only 42% say they are getting as much sleep as they need. That’s a first in Gallup polling since 2001; in 2013, when Americans were last asked, it was just about the reverse — 56% saying they got the needed sleep and 43% saying they didn’t.

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Younger women, under the age of 50, were especially likely to report they aren’t getting enough rest.

The poll also asked respondents to report how many hours of sleep they usually get per night: Only 26% said they got eight or more hours, which is around the amount that sleep experts say is recommended for health and mental well-being. Just over half, 53%, reported getting six to seven hours. And 20% said they got five hours or less, a jump from the 14% who reported getting the least amount of sleep in 2013.

(And just to make you feel even more tired, in 1942, the vast majority of Americans were sleeping more. Some 59% said they slept eight or more hours, while 33% said they slept six to seven hours. What even IS that?)

A woman and her dog nap between rain showers at Schenley Park on May 4, 2021, in Pittsburgh. The Gallup survey, released April 15, 2024, says that a majority of Americans say they would feel better if they could have more sleep. (Pam Panchak/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP, File)

THE REASONS AREN’T EXACTLY CLEAR

The poll doesn’t get into reasons WHY Americans aren’t getting the sleep they need, and since Gallup last asked the question in 2013, there’s no data breaking down the particular impact of the last four years and the pandemic era.

But what’s notable, says Sarah Fioroni, senior researcher at Gallup, is the shift in the last decade toward more Americans thinking they would benefit from more sleep and particularly the jump in the number of those saying they get five or less hours.

“That five hours or less category … was almost not really heard of in 1942,” Fioroni said. “There’s almost nobody that said they slept five hours or less.”

In modern American life, there also has been “this pervasive belief about how sleep was unnecessary — that it was this period of inactivity where little to nothing was actually happening and that took up time that could have been better used,” said Joseph Dzierzewski, vice president for research and scientific affairs at the National Sleep Foundation.

It’s only relatively recently that the importance of sleep to physical, mental and emotional health has started to percolate more in the general population, he said.

And there’s still a long way to go. For some Americans, like Justine Broughal, 31, a self-employed event planner with two small children, there simply aren’t enough hours in the day. So even though she recognizes the importance of sleep, it often comes in below other priorities like her 4-month-old son, who still wakes up throughout the night, or her 3-year-old daughter.

“I really treasure being able to spend time with (my children),” Broughal says. “Part of the benefit of being self-employed is that I get a more flexible schedule, but it’s definitely often at the expense of my own care.”

THERE’S A CULTURAL BACKDROP TO ALL THIS, TOO

So why are we awake all the time? One likely reason for Americans’ sleeplessness is cultural — a longstanding emphasis on industriousness and productivity.

Some of the context is much older than the shift documented in the poll. It includes the Protestants from European countries who colonized the country, said Claude Fischer, a professor of sociology at the graduate school of the University of California Berkeley. Their belief system included the idea that working hard and being rewarded with success was evidence of divine favor.

“It has been a core part of American culture for centuries,” he said. “You could make the argument that it … in the secularized form over the centuries becomes just a general principle that the morally correct person is somebody who doesn’t waste their time.”

Jennifer Sherman has seen that in action. In her research in rural American communities over the years, the sociology professor at Washington State University says a common theme among people she interviewed was the importance of having a solid work ethic. That applied not only to paid labor but unpaid labor as well, like making sure the house was clean.

A through line of American cultural mythology is the idea of being “individually responsible for creating our own destinies,” she said. “And that does suggest that if you’re wasting too much of your time … that you are responsible for your own failure.”

“The other side of the coin is a massive amount of disdain for people considered lazy,” she added.

Broughal says she thinks that as parents, her generation is able to let go of some of those expectations. “I prioritize … spending time with my kids, over keeping my house pristine,” she said.

But with two little ones to care for, she said, making peace with a messier house doesn’t mean more time to rest: “We’re spending family time until, you know, (my 3-year-old) goes to bed at eight and then we’re resetting the house, right?”

THE TRADEOFFS OF MORE SLEEP

While the poll only shows a broad shift over the past decade, living through the COVID-19 pandemic may have affected people’s sleep patterns. Also discussed in post-COVID life is “revenge bedtime procrastination,” in which people put off sleeping and instead scroll on social media or binge a show as a way of trying to handle stress.

Liz Meshel is familiar with that. The 30-year-old American is temporarily living in Bulgaria on a research grant, but also works a part-time job on U.S. hours to make ends meet.

On the nights when her work schedule stretches to 10 p.m., Meshel finds herself in a “revenge procrastination” cycle. She wants some time to herself to decompress before going to sleep and ends up sacrificing sleeping hours to make it happen.

“That’s applies to bedtime as well, where I’m like, ’Well, I didn’t have any me time during the day, and it is now 10 p.m., so I am going to feel totally fine and justified watching X number of episodes of TV, spending this much time on Instagram, as my way to decompress,” she said. “Which obviously will always make the problem worse.”

Health

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Health

Simple daily habit could help people with type 2 diabetes manage blood sugar

Published

7 hours ago

December 22, 2025

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Simple daily habit could help people with type 2 diabetes manage blood sugar

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Sitting next to a window may help people with type 2 diabetes control their insulin levels, according to new research.

The study, published in Cell Metabolism, found that exposure to natural light — even indoors next to a window — changes how the body processes glucose and uses energy.

People in Western societies spend 80% to 90% of their time under artificial lights, which are much dimmer and less dynamic than sunlight, the researchers noted. Natural daylight is a powerful cue for the body’s internal clock, also known as the circadian rhythm.

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The body’s internal clock influences many processes, including digestion, hormone release and metabolism, according to research. When it gets out of sync, it can worsen insulin resistance and blood sugar control, which are two of the main issues caused by type 2 diabetes.

Typical lighting in homes and offices is much dimmer and lacks the biological signals provided by natural daylight. (iStock)

To test the effects of daylight on blood sugar, scientists recruited 13 adults with type 2 diabetes. Each person spent two separate 4.5-day periods in a controlled office setting, according to a press release.

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In one period, they worked in front of large windows with natural daylight streaming in. In the other period, participants worked in the same room with the windows covered and were exposed only to typical indoor lighting.

Daylight isn’t a replacement for medication or traditional management strategies like diet and exercise, the researchers noted.

Everyone ate similar meals, followed the same schedule and continued their usual diabetes medications in both conditions.

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While average blood sugar levels didn’t differ drastically between the two conditions, people spent more time in the healthy glucose range when they were exposed to natural daylight — their blood sugar fluctuated less and stayed within a desirable range for a greater portion of the day.

Participants who were exposed to daylight burned more fat and fewer carbohydrates, a metabolic pattern linked to better blood sugar regulation. (iStock)

Exposure to natural light also affected metabolism. In daylight, participants burned more fat and fewer carbohydrates for energy.

Muscle biopsies and laboratory tests further showed that the genes responsible for the body’s cellular clocks were more synchronized under natural light conditions, the study revealed.

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Better alignment of these genes can improve nutrient processing and how cells respond to insulin, the researchers concluded.

Sitting near windows or spending more time outdoors could support diabetes management alongside standard treatments, researchers say. (iStock)

However, daylight isn’t a replacement for medication or traditional management strategies like diet and exercise, according to the team.

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The study did have some limitations, including that the group of patients was small. The researchers cautioned that larger studies are needed to confirm these results and determine how much natural light exposure is optimal.

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“This study also highlights the often unnoticed impact of the built environment on our health, and raises further concerns about the prevalence of office environments with poor (natural) daylight access,” the researchers noted.

Khloe Quill is a lifestyle production assistant with Fox News Digital. She and the lifestyle team cover a range of story topics including food and drink, travel, and health.

Health

Frequent heartburn may be a warning sign of a more dangerous condition, doctor says

Published

19 hours ago

December 22, 2025

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Frequent heartburn may be a warning sign of a more dangerous condition, doctor says

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For most people, heartburn is an occasional annoyance and source of temporary discomfort. But for some, chronic heartburn can lead to more dangerous conditions — potentially even pre-cancerous ones.

About 10% of people with chronic gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) will develop Barrett’s esophagus, a condition where the lining of the lower esophagus is replaced with abnormal cells that are more prone to cancer, according to medical experts.

Some studies have shown that among those with Barrett’s esophagus, between 3% and 13% will go on to develop cancer, but most will not.

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When acid reflux becomes dangerous

“Your stomach is designed to handle acid. Your esophagus is not,” Dr. Daryl Gioffre, a Florida-based gut health specialist and certified nutritionist, told Fox News Digital.

About 10% of people with chronic acid reflux will develop Barrett’s esophagus, a condition where the lining of the lower esophagus is replaced with abnormal cells that are more prone to cancer. (iStock)

“With reflux, the danger is not the burn in the chest or throat — the real danger is the constant backflow of acid traveling the wrong way.”

In most people, the lower esophageal sphincter — which Gioffre refers to as the “acid gate” — keeps acid in the stomach, which is lined with thick mucus and specialized cells designed to protect it.

“With reflux, the danger is not the burn in the chest or throat — the real danger is the constant backflow of acid traveling the wrong way.”

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“But when the gate gets weak, it relaxes or stays slightly open, and acid slips back up the wrong way,” he said. This “gate” can weaken with magnesium deficiency, high stress, alcohol, poor sleep, dehydration and late-night snacking, all of which can disrupt healthy digestion.

When acid hits the esophagus, it irritates tissue that was never designed to withstand it, according to the doctor.

“Every time acid comes back up the wrong way, it injures the lining like a slow chemical burn,” said Gioffre, who is also the author of “Get Off Your Acid” and “Get Off Your Sugar.” Over time, that irritation erodes the lining, drives inflammation and can change the cells.

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“These new cells are no longer normal esophageal cells — they begin to shift into cells that look more like stomach lining, because those cells can tolerate the acid,” the doctor said. “That change is called metaplasia, or Barrett’s esophagus.”

Once the cells start changing, the risk of further mutation goes up. If that process continues, Gioffre warned, it can progress to dysplasia, which is the stage right before esophageal cancer.

Some studies have shown that among those with Barrett’s esophagus, between 3% and 13% will go on to develop cancer. (iStock)

“So the real danger is not the heartburn you feel,” he summarized. “It is the repeated acid exposure forcing the esophagus to adapt in ways it was never designed to. Fixing reflux at the root stops this entire cascade before those cellular changes begin.”

Men at higher risk

Men generally have a higher risk because they burn through magnesium faster, tend to carry more visceral fat pushing upward on the stomach, eat heavier meals and snack late at night, Gioffre cautioned. These activities all weaken the acid gate and shut down healthy digestion.

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“Eating within three hours of lying down almost guarantees the stomach does not empty, and that is one of the biggest drivers of nighttime reflux,” he said. “On top of that, men often ignore symptoms, or mask them with PPIs and antacids instead of fixing the root cause.”

All of these factors contribute to a “perfect storm” for chronic inflammation and long-term damage, according to Gioffre.

Warning signs

There are certain red flags that indicate when acid reflux has gone beyond an occasional annoyance and has progressed to constant and chronic.

“If that burn becomes more frequent or more intense, or starts showing up even when you have not eaten, your body is waving a giant warning flag,” Gioffre said.

Difficulty swallowing, a feeling that food is “stuck,” chronic hoarseness, a constant cough, throat clearing or the feeling of a lump in the throat are all indicators that the acid is moving upward into areas it should never reach. (iStock)

EXPERT WARNS OF ‘SILENT EPIDEMIC’ THAT PUTS MEN’S HEALTH AT SERIOUS RISK

“Ulcers in your throat, or even in your mouth, are another sign that the acid is doing real damage,” he warned.

“Another major warning sign is when reflux goes from something you notice occasionally to something you feel every day or every night, or when PPIs and antacids stop helping,” Gioffre said. “That usually means the lining is irritated and eroded, and may already be changing on a cellular level.”

Nighttime reflux is the most dangerous because the acid sits on the esophagus for hours, causing deep inflammation and long-term cellular changes, the doctor said. (iStock)

Unexplained weight loss, vomiting blood and black stools are all serious symptoms that demand immediate attention, the doctor added.

“The bottom line: When reflux becomes consistent, chronic and starts impacting swallowing, your voice, or the tissues in your mouth or throat, it is no longer just a nuisance,” Gioffre told Fox News Digital. “That is the point where the esophagus may be moving toward a precancerous state, and men especially cannot afford to wait on it.”

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3 key ways to prevent reflux

Gioffre shared the following essential steps to preventing acid reflux and improving digestive health.

No. 1: Follow the 3-hour rule

“Stop eating three hours before bed,” the doctor recommends. “When you eat late, the stomach does not empty, pressure builds and the acid gate relaxes, guaranteeing that acid travels upward into your esophagus while you sleep.”

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Nighttime reflux is the most dangerous because the acid sits on the esophagus for hours, causing deep inflammation and long-term cellular changes, he warned. “This one rule alone can dramatically lower acid reflux and cancer risk.”

No. 2: Strengthen the acid gate

When stomach acid is low, the lower esophageal sphincter loses its tone, allowing acid to travel upward instead of staying in the stomach, Gioffre said.

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“The fastest way to tighten that gate is to build your mineral reserves, especially magnesium,” he said.

The best way to do this is to load up on magnesium-rich foods like avocado, spinach, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, quinoa and almonds, and consider adding a clean magnesium supplement.

No. 3: Remove or neutralize daily triggers

The fastest way to protect your esophagus, according to Gioffre, is to eliminate or neutralize the foods and habits that weaken the acid gate and push acid the wrong way.

For people who can’t fully eliminate these triggers, certain habits can help neutralize their impact by reducing acid strength and pressure before it reaches the esophagus.

The doctor recommends cutting back on alcohol and caffeine, both of which relax the acid gate and increase the risk of acid reflux. (iStock)

“Drinking most of your water earlier in the day helps, because pounding water at night stretches the stomach and relaxes the acid gate, making it much easier for acid to flow the wrong way once you lie down,” he said.

He also recommends cutting back on alcohol and caffeine, both of which relax the acid gate instantly.

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Some other major triggers that fuel the reflux cycle include chocolate, spicy foods, garlic, onions, sugar, ultraprocessed foods and heavy nighttime meals, according to the doctor.

“These foods and habits weaken the lower esophageal sphincter, drive up inflammation and push pressure upward,” he said. “That’s exactly how a little heartburn turns into chronic reflux, and slowly causes the kind of damage that puts the esophagus at risk for cancer.”

Melissa Rudy is senior health editor and a member of the lifestyle team at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to melissa.rudy@fox.com.