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CDC says Baby Boomers are losing sleep
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Sleeping like a baby? Apparently not, according to the CDC.
In a given 30-day period, almost half of Baby Boomers say they aren't getting enough sleep for between one and 13 nights.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at sleep in America -- or, more to the point, sleeplessness in America.
While it doesn't rank up there with H1N1 as an imminent health concern, sleep and the lack thereof is a concern.
"The importance of chronic sleep insufficiency is under-recognized as a public health problem, despite being associated with numerous physical and mental health problems, injury, loss of productivity, and mortality," the CDC said in an Oct. 30 announcement.
Some of the underlying causes of insufficient sleep are due to underlying health concerns. Insufficient sleep, for example, might be coming from sleep apnea.
Among 403,981 adult respondents to a sleep survey, according to the CDC report, an estimated 30.7 percent reported no days of insufficient rest or sleep in the preceding 30 days, 41.3 percent reported 1 to 13 days of insufficient sleep, 16.8 percent reported 14 to 29 days, and 11.1 percent reported all 30 days of insufficient sleep.
Baby Boomers 45 to 64 years old were slightly higher than the national average in terms of sleeplessness, according to the CDC breakdown:
- 30.5 percent reported no days of insufficient sleep;
- 42.4 percent reported 1 to 13 days;
- 16.3 percent reported 14 to 29 days;
- 10.9 percent reported all 30 days of insufficient sleep.
The CDC also looked at sleepiness state by state:
- The highest incidences of 30-day sleeplessness occurred in Puerto Rico (14.0 percent), Oklahoma (14.3 percent), Kentucky (14.4 percent), Tennessee (14.8 percent), and West Virginia (19.3 percent);
- The lowest incidences of 30-day sleeplessness occurred in North Dakota (7.4 percent), California (8.0percent), District of Columbia (8.5 percent), Wisconsin (8.6 percent), and Oregon (8.8 percent).
According to the CDC, the major causes of sleep loss include lifestyle and occupational factors that reflect broad societal factors (such work hours and access to technology), and specific sleep disorders, (such as apnea).
