Sleep Duration, Quality of Sleep, and Use of Sleep Medication, by Sex and Family Type, 2013–2014

Sleep affects many aspects of well-being and quality of life for people of all ages. Risks associated with deficient or poor-quality sleep include physical health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease, mental health issues such as depression, and driving and workplace accidents.

Nearly one-third of U.S. adults do not meet the recommendation of getting at least 7 hours of sleep daily.

Prior research has found that marital status and whether young children live in the household are associated with sleep duration and quality.

An NCHS report describes sleep duration, sleep quality, insomnia symptoms, and the use of sleep medication among U.S. adults, by sex and family type.

Findings:

• Single parents, especially women, were more likely than adults in other types of families to have short sleep duration, frequently have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep, and frequently wake up feeling not well-rested.
• Within family types, women were more likely than men to frequently have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep, and to frequently wake up feeling not well-rested.
• Overall, adults in two-parent families were less likely than adults in other types of families to have taken sleep medication four times or more in the past week.