The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released statistical data linking family income group and average hours of sleep from 2013 National Health Interview Survey. CDC researchers indicated that 35.2 percent of lower-income Americans are getting less than six hours of sleep. Interestingly, the CDC study shows no significant statistical difference between families living in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas.
The CDC case study measured that the relationship between sleeping hours and household income is linear and also noted that 72.3 percent of people above the poverty mark tend to sleep more than six hours.
The CDC data illustrate that sleep deficiency is a public health epidemic. People who are not getting enough sleep tend to suffer from chronic diseases such as diabetes, depression, obesity, hypertension and cancer as well as reduced productivity, increased mortality and most likely sleeping disorders. Not to mention drowsy driving that causes a significant number of accidents and some unfortunate incidents that are even fatal.
"I think there are a lot of things that contribute to the lack of the sleep or poor quality of sleep," says Lloyd Diamond, a registered sleep technician.
"People who are on the lower end of income are just caught in a vicious cycle of several different health issues," Diamond added. "It is something that can make whatever else you have going on harder to treat."
Poorer Americans tend to get multiple jobs to meet their daily expenses, exchanging working hours for sleeping hours.
A study also shows that multiple job holders were 61 percent more likely to sleep 6 hours or less on weekdays. A group of researchers tested nearly 125,000 responses by American Time Use Survey to measure two things: how much we sleep, and activities we do instead of sleeping.
Aside from work, commuting also contends with sleep for time, followed by socializing, sleeplessness, and personal grooming.
"Although a certain level of body hygiene is important for social and physical well-being, excessive time spent in these activities may reduce sleep time at both ends of the sleep period," the authors observed. TV-watching was ranked 9th only among the activities exchanged for less sleep.
Earning more while sleeping less will not stay true for us all. Sleep is one of human's fundamental needs and based on this study, CDC recommends adults to sleep seven to eight hours each night.
More money and good health will definitely benefit those who have more time for sleeping.
