Two in five Americans don't get the recommended seven or more hours of sleep [1] a night, according to a new Gallup report.


Gallup researchers surveyed 1,031 U.S. adults and found that 59 percent of Americans reported getting seven or more hours of sleep in a typical night in 2013. This number has not changed dramatically since 1990 (when 57 percent of Americans said they got seven or more hours of sleep a night).


However, the figure is a stark contrast to 1942, when 84 percent of Americans said they got seven or more hours of sleep a night.


While the amount of needed sleep[2] will differ from person to person, the National Sleep Foundation generally recommends that adults get seven to nine hours of sleep a night. Kids and teens need more sleep (teens need 8.5 to 9.25 hours of sleep a night, while school-aged kids need 10 to 11 hours of sleep a night).


The new Gallup study showed that very few Americans get more than nine hours of sleep[3] a night -- just 5 percent -- but 14 percent said they usually get five or fewer hours of sleep a night. Twenty-nine percent said they get eight hours of sleep a night, 25 percent say they get seven hours of sleep a night, and 26 percent say they get six hours of sleep a night.


Nearly half of Americans say that they would probably feel better if they got more sleep -- 43 percent -- while 56 percent say they get the amount of sleep they need each night. These figures have not changed much since 2001, though in 1991, more Americans said they got as much sleep as they needed.


sleep needs



Of course, it's not surprising that people who reported regularly getting less sleep a night said that they would feel better if they got more sleep. Just 32 percent of people who slept six or fewer hours a night said they get as much sleep as they need, while 67 percent of people who sleep this much say they would like to have more. Meanwhile, 86 percent of people who sleep eight or more hours a night say they get enough sleep, and just 13 percent say they could use more sleep.


In addition, some age groups were more likely than others to get more sleep. For instance, 67 percent of people ages 65 and older get seven or more hours of sleep a night, compared with 54 percent of 18-to-29-year-olds. Parents are also more likely to get inadequate sleep, as are people with lower incomes. People between ages 18 and 49 are more likely to say they could use more sleep -- 51 percent of 18-to-29-year-olds and 52 percent of 30-to-49-year-olds -- while 63 percent of 50-to-64-year-olds and 70 percent of people ages 65 and older said they get as much sleep as they need.



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  • ...Increase Stroke Risk


    Even without the typical risk factors, like being overweight or having a family history, short sleep can up your risk for stroke, according to 2012 research. Adults who regularly slept fewer than six hours a night had <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/11/sleep-stroke-risk_n_1586837.html">four times the risk of stroke symptoms</a>, HuffPost reported.




  • ...Lead To Obesity


    Too little sleep can spur some less-than-ideal food choices, including <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/25/sleep-portion-sizes-deprivation-food-calories_n_2735497.html">serving yourself larger portions</a>, and a hankering for junk food, thanks to some complicated hormonal changes that occur when you don't get sufficient shuteye. It seems that six hours of sleep or less <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/26/sleep-deprivation-obesity-leptin-ghrelin-insulin_n_2007043.html">bumps up production of the hunger hormone ghrelin</a> and limits leptin, which helps you balance your food intake, according to a 2012 review of 18 studies of sleep and appetite.




  • ...Up Diabetes Risk


    A pair of small studies from 2012 examined the link between poor sleep and insulin resistance, a telltale risk factor for diabetes. One found that among healthy teenagers, the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/03/sleep-insulin-resistance-teens_n_1929374.html">shortest sleepers had the highest insulin resistance</a>, meaning the body is <a href="http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/insulinresistance/#resistance">not using insulin effectively</a>, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. The second study examined fat cells, in particular, and found that cutting back on sleep <a href="http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1379773">increased insulin resistance in these cells</a>, even when <a href="http://news.health.com/2012/10/15/sleep-deprivation-insulin-resistance/">diet and calorie intake were restricted</a>, Health.com reported.




  • ...Fuel Memory Loss


    You probably know that on the days when you are most tired, you're forgetful and unfocused -- but sleep deprivation can lead to <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130127134212.htm"><em>permanent</em> cognitive issues</a>. The less we sleep, the less we benefit from the memory-storing properties of sleep. But additionally, a lack of sleep can cause <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/28/sleep-deprivation-memory-loss_n_2566999.html">"brain deterioration,"</a> according to a 2013 study, which may at least in part explain memory loss in seniors.




  • ...Damage Bones


    At least in rats, long-term <a href="http://ebm.rsmjournals.com/content/237/9/1101.full">sleep deprivation seems to contribute to osteoporosis</a>, according to a 2012 study. Researchers found <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/26/sleep-deprivation-bones-marrow_n_1898610.html">changes to bone mineral density and bone marrow</a> in the rodents when they were deprived of shuteye over a period of 72 days. "If true in humans, and I expect that it may be, this work will have great impact on our understanding of <a href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-09/sfeb-los_1091812.php">the impact of sleep deprivation on osteoporosis</a> and inability to repair bone damage as we age," Steven R. Goodman, Ph.D., editor-in-chief of Experimental Biology and Medicine, said in a statement.




  • ...Increase Cancer Risk


    A small (but growing) body of research suggests that short and poor sleep can up risk for certain types of cancer. A 2010 study found that among 1,240 people screened for colorectal cancer, the 338 who were diagnosed were <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cncr.25507/abstract">more likely to average fewer than six hours of sleep</a> a night. Even after controlling for more traditional risk factors, polyps were more common in people who slept less, according to the study. Getting just six hours of sleep a night has also been linked to an <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/06/sleep-breast-cancer-aggressive-deprivation_n_1854658.html">increase of recurrence in breast cancer patients</a>. The study's author has pointed to more and better sleep as a possible pathway of reducing risk and recurrence.




  • ...Hurt Your Heart


    The stress and strain of too little sleep can cause the body to produce more of the chemicals and hormones that can lead to heart disease, according to 2011 research. The study found that people who slept for six hours or less each night and have problems staying asleep had a 48 percent <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110208091426.htm">higher risk of developing or dying from heart disease</a>.




  • ...Kill You


    It's not just heart problems that can lead to sleep-deprivation-related death. In fact, <a href="http://healthland.time.com/2010/09/02/lack-of-sleep-can-cause-depression-weight-gain-and-even-death/">short sleepers seem to die younger</a> of any cause than people who sleep about 6.5 to 7.5 hours a night, TIME reported. A 2010 study examined the impact of short sleep on mortality and found that <a href="http://www.journalsleep.org/ViewAbstract.aspx?pid=27894">men who slept for less than six hours of sleep a night were four times more likely</a> to die over a 14-year period. The study's authors called this link "a risk that has been underestimated."




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