Would You Relocate To Sleep Better?

Despite the West Coast landing the number one spot, the remaining top four locations were from East Coast states; with South Carolina ranking second, New York placing third, Maryland and New Jersey coming in tied for fourth place, and North Carolina taking fifth place to round off the top five, according to a random double opt-in survey conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Herbalife involving 5000 general population Americans split evenly by state.

Those living in California report averaging 6.5 out of 10 for sleep quality and only getting four nights a week of high-quality sleep. They also report getting just over 6 and a half hours of sleep per night which is less than the 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night recommended by most experts. 

55% of the respondents said that they can’t remember the last time that they had a perfect night of sleep, and 78% are not able to recall when they had a perfect week of sleep regardless of where they lived. 

Most of the respondents believe that the absolute perfect sleep may not be attainable, 48% said that they know how to get a good night of sleep. However, even though they know how to get a good night of sleep respondents confessed to doing things that they know could negatively impact their sleep, with 66% reporting scrolling on their mobile devices for a prolonged amount of time in the two hours leading up to bedtime; of those 38% scroll social media and 29% scroll other options. 

Those residing in California are slightly better than the average which may be why the state ranked first place for overall sleep. 54% of the California respondents reported watching some television before going to bed, 32% reported scrolling social media, and 25% reported doing something else on their mobile devices like reading before drifting off to Slumberland. 

“The unfortunate truth is the blue light from TVs, phones and digital devices unequivocally impairs sleep quality. Even if you’re able to fall asleep, the quality of sleep is reduced and your brain biology is disrupted,” said John Heiss, Ph.D., vice president of Global Product Innovation at Herbalife. “The additional problem with blue light is that it disrupts your circadian rhythm, which controls mood, organ function and metabolism. If you’re experiencing food cravings, blue light may be the culprit.”

The majority of all respondents (78%) said that they were going to try to improve their sleep this year. 44% said that they were going to make their routines for sleep and wake more consistent, 39% said that they were going to take time away from their screen before going to bed, 30% said that they were going to eat less in the evening hours leading up to bedtime, 30% said they were going to do quiet hobbies like yoga or reading before bed, and 23% said that they were going to change their diet.

74% of all respondents said that when they get poor-quality sleep their overall health is negatively impacted, with 44% saying that improving the quality of their sleep is their number one priority right now. The sentiment was shared across all generations, with Gen Z being the least likely to agree. 67% of Gen Z respondents said that sleep quality impacts overall health compared to 78% of Millennials. 

67% of all respondents, regardless of age, agreed that poor-quality sleep leads to a lack of energy, 41% said it contributes to feelings of anxiety or depression, 38% said that poor-quality sleep makes them more likely to be short-tempered with loved ones, and 33% said that when they have poor quality sleep, they are less motivated at work. Additionally, 21% said that bad sleep can be a cycle, reporting that when they have poor sleep, they are likely to sleep less well on the following nights. 

The effects of poor-quality sleep appear to vary by generation: 71% of Baby Boomers were more likely to experience a lack of energy compared to 63% of Millennial respondents. But when it comes to becoming short-tempered 45% of Millennials were more likely to experience this compared to 25% of Baby Boomer respondents. 

The analysis also revealed some differences in how women and men sleep as well with 50% of women reporting that they often or always feel sleep-deprived compared to only 37% of men feeling the same way. 42% of the women respondents can remember the last time they were able to get a perfect night of sleep compared to 52% of men. When it comes to a perfect week of sleep 19% of the women respondents were able to recall a perfect week of sleep compared to 27% of men. 

“The unfortunate truth is the blue light from TVs, phones and digital devices unequivocally impairs sleep quality. Even if you’re able to fall asleep, the quality of sleep is reduced and your brain biology is disrupted,” said John Heiss, Ph.D., vice president of Global Product Innovation at Herbalife. “The additional problem with blue light is that it disrupts your circadian rhythm, which controls mood, organ function and metabolism. If you’re experiencing food cravings, blue light may be the culprit.”

How does your state rank for sleep scores? (Listed best to worst)

1. California
2. South Carolina
3. New York
4. Maryland (tied for fourth)
5. New Jersey (tied for fourth)
6. North Carolina
7. Pennsylvania
8. Ohio (tied for eighth)
9. Arizona (tied for eighth)
10. Washington (tied for eighth)
11. Michigan (tied for 11th)
12. Colorado (tied for 11th)
13. Georgia (tied for 13th)
14. Texas (tied for 13th)
15. Virginia
16. Illinois (tied for 16th)
17. Rhode Island (tied for 16th)
18. Wisconsin
19. Arkansas (tied for 19th)
20. Tennessee (tied for 19th)
21. Alabama
22. Florida (tied for 22nd)
23. Missouri (tied for 22nd)
24. Mississippi (tied for 22nd)
25. Alaska
26. Delaware (tied for 26th)
27. Indiana (tied for 26th)
28. Nevada (tied for 26th)
29. New Hampshire (tied for 26th)
30. Louisiana (tied for 30th)
31. South Dakota (tied for 30th)
32. Kentucky
33. Utah (tied for 33rd)
34. North Dakota (tied for 33rd)
35. Vermont (tied for 33rd)
36. Oregon
37. Idaho (tied for 37th)
38. Iowa (tied for 37th)
39. Nebraska (tied for 37th)
40. Massachusetts (tied for 37th)
41. New Mexico (tied for 37th)
42. Connecticut
43. Kansas (tied for 43rd)
44. Oklahoma (tied for 43rd)
45. Minnesota (tied for 43rd)
46. Hawaii (tied for 46th)
47. Wyoming (tied for 46th)
48. Maine
49. West Virginia
50. Montana