Data Studies
We crunched the numbers on how much and how long people sleep in the U.S., and we took a look at snoring data to find out who is doing it the most, where they are making a racket, and some of the reasons why. Read on to find out if your city and state made the sleep grade.
Snore Wars: battle of the sexes and of the 50 states…
Who snores more?
Though women fight for equal pay and treatment, no one will be fighting to take the snore crown. Our data shows that men snore more often and longer, and are two times more likely to be heavy snorers as women. However, women are by no means silent sleepers. On average, Americans snore around 2.65 times a night for a total of 22 minutes. For men, the average is 2.75 times a night with an average duration of 24 mins 7 secs. For women, the figures are 2.29 times a night with an average duration of 17 mins 47 secs.
Where do the biggest snorers unleash their skills?
Florida is the snore capital of the United States. People in Jacksonville snore over 5 times a night, with snore durations reaching 1hr 12 mins. The snoriest state is Montana, with rumbles heard nearly 6 times a night that last 61 mins on average. Maine, known for being a quiet, peaceful vacationland getaway, comes in second in the snore scores with an average of 41 mins a night. Other noisy-at-night neighbors can be found in North Dakota (36 mins 39 secs), Delaware (36 mins), and Nebraska (33 mins .49 secs).
Sleep
Don’t ignore the snore!
While we often think of snoring as annoying (or adorable), the fact is that it can be a sign of other breathing disorders and serious health issues. Snoring and nighttime breathing disturbances can impact the quality of sleep and can be a sign of sleep apnea. Snoring is also associated with other chronic illnesses such as high blood pressure, obesity, and even depression.
Our data study shows a significant correlation between BMI and snoring in both men and women. The higher the BMI, the more likely a person is to be a heavy snorer, and reducing BMI by 5 points can decrease the risk of being a heavier snorer by a factor of 3.
Related data study: Weight Loss Secrets Revealed
A nation of night owls?
It seems we are becoming less likely to go to bed at a decent hour, as the average time people in the U.S. go to bed is later than midnight, and 50% of states have average sleep durations that are less than the recommended 7–9 hours a night.
On average, users across the nation go to bed at 12:08 AM and rise at 7:41 AM. The top late-night cities are Philadelphia (12:40 a.m.), New York (12:36 AM), Los Angeles (12:30 AM), Miami (12:28 AM), and Jacksonville (12:24 AM).
In addition, notorious party cities including Las Vegas, Nashville, New Orleans, Austin and Atlanta all had bedtimes after midnight.
And while we think of New York as the “city that never sleeps,” our study shows that Detroit takes that title—with citizens of the Motor City averaging just 6 hours 40 mins a night.
Who are the early birds?
The cities among the earliest to start the day are Denver (7:25 AM), Phoenix (7:31 AM), St. Louis (7:32 AM), Minneapolis (7:34 AM), and Columbus (7:35 AM), while those enjoying more of a lie-in include New York (8:05 AM), Philadelphia (8:04 AM), Los Angeles (7:59 AM), Austin (7:58 AM), and San Francisco (7:56 AM).
How long does it take us to get going in the morning?
Those quickest to get up and go after they wake include the District of Columbia (5 mins 26 secs), Massachusetts (7 min 9 secs), Pennsylvania (8 mins 2 secs), New Jersey (8 mins 3 secs), and Indiana (8 mins 6 secs). Those that need a little more time to shake a leg include South Dakota (14 mins 20 secs), Oklahoma (13 mins 32 secs), West Virginia (12 mins 25 secs), Wyoming (12 mins 9 secs), and Nevada (11 mins 53 secs).
Where do people seem to get the best sleep?
It’s not the Big Apple — it’s the Big Easy. We found that New Orleans residents may hit the hay late, but they also seem to sleep the most soundly in their beds, because New Orleans captured the title of having the best sleep quality in the nation.
Steel HR Sport
The average (sleeping) American
If you find you wake up at night, know that it’s far from uncommon. On average, Americans wake up twice a night and spend about 28 and 35 minutes awake before re-entering sleep (31 mins 43 secs on average).
And when it comes to the dream stage, there is also a lot of consistency between states on the amount of deep REM sleep people achieve — with Americans clocking 3hrs 17 mins of REM sleep on average.
We hope that what has been revealed in this study has been refreshing, and that you feel ready to hit the sheets with a renewed sense of purpose. And if you like pictures? Check out the related Great American Sleep Study Infographic.
This study was conducted by Withings based on anonymous data from a pool of 2.4 million American users, 1.4 million of whom tracked their weight,130,000 of whom tracked their steps, 39,000 of whom tracked their sleep, and 5,000 of whom tracked their snoring. Withings guarantees the confidentiality of personal data and protects the privacy of all its users. Therefore, all data used in this study is anonymized and aggregated.
