From Sleeping Hot to Late Night Visits From Kids and Bed Hogging Pets, New Survey Reveals the Top Sleep Disruptors

By JD Velilla, Head of Sleep Experience at Serta Simmons Bedding

At Serta Simmons Bedding, our mission is built on helping people sleep better so they can live healthier lives. In fact, good sleep is so critical that the American Heart Association (AHA) recently updated its cardiovascular health checklist to include sleep quality as essential for optimal cardiovascular health. However, despite that essential nature of sleep, we know that many aren’t getting the amount of sleep they need.

We recently commissioned a survey with OnePoll* to further understand how people are sleeping right now as well as some of the most common sleep disruptors and discovered the following:

• Many People Still Aren’t Getting Good Sleep – A fifth of respondents said it’s been more than one month since they’ve gotten a perfect night’s rest (21%), with 28% percent of people not getting a good night’s sleep in 1-2 weeks. The average person also reported waking up three times per night.
• Poor Sleep Quality Spans Generations – For Millennials (ages 26-41), waking up at least three times per night is the norm. Baby Boomers (ages 58-76) are the most likely to report having missed out on a perfect night’s sleep in more than a month (33%). And, nearly three-fourths of Gen Z (ages 18-25) (74%) and the Silent Generation (ages 77-94) (73%) are most likely to toss and turn at night because they can’t find a comfortable sleep position.
• Sleeping Hot Ranks Among the Top Sleep Disruptors – Most people wake up more often at night when they feel hot (76%). Interestingly, people residing in the Northeast are more likely to wake up more often when they feel hot (89%) than their neighbors in Southern states (61%). For those sleeping hot, 49% turn on the AC or a fan, 37% sleep without the covers, and 36% change their clothes to cool down.
• No Rest for Weary Parents and Pet Owners – 40% of parents shared they are woken up more than twice a week by their child(ren) not being able to sleep – usually when their children need to use the bathroom (34%) or when their children have nightmares (31%). After waking up, nearly half of parents almost always give in and let their kids crawl into bed with them (49%). Meanwhile, 41% of pet owners, are woken up by their furry family members twice a week, thanks to their pet’s barks/meows or whimpers (36%), their need to go outside (31%) or when they take up too much space in the bed (30%).
• Although Better Sleep May Be Just Around the Corner for Parents with School-Aged Children – Nearly half of parents surveyed said they get more sleep when their kids return to school (49%), and 50% said the quality of their sleep is better during this time, too.

While there are many sleep disruptors keeping us awake, there are also some ways to ensure you are a getting a better night of shut eye, including:

• First and Foremost, Know (And Address) What is Interrupting Your Individual Sleep Routine. Partner or pet affecting your sleep by taking up too much of the bed? Choose the largest bed that can fit into your space, and ensure the mattress includes technology that addresses motion transfer (Beautyrest Black is a great option). Waking up in the middle of the night sweating? Light clothing, breathable linens and a mattress with cooling technology like Serta Arctic can help.
• Watch What (and When) You Eat Before Bed – Bedtime can trigger cravings for many of us (nearly half (48%) of the individuals surveyed admitted they regularly eat before bed, and these respondents are likely to crave sweets (50%) such as cookies (42%) or salty snacks (32%) like chips (49%) or popcorn (45%). For optimal sleep, it is best to have a light dinner two to three hours before bedtime, so the digestive process doesn’t impact your ability to fall asleep. It is also important that you don’t go to bed hungry. If you find yourself hungry before bed, snack on something easy to digest, like fruit, or my favorite, yogurt with granola.
• Making Your Bed Can Impact Your Sleep – Seventy-four percent of those surveyed said they sleep better crawling into a neatly made bed at night, with that number rising to 77% among Millennials (ages 26-41). I often talk about the importance of thinking about your bedroom as a recovery room and making your bed each day is a key part of that.

At Serta Simmons Bedding, we’re always seeking to understand what is hindering people’s sleep so that we can help address their evolving sleep needs – whether through the mattresses or through our complementary products and accessories designed to help create the ideal sleep experience.

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JD Velilla is the Head of Sleep Experience at Serta Simmons Bedding (SSB), the leading sleep company with a portfolio of brands that includes Serta, Beautyrest, Tuft & Needle and Simmons. He is also a member of the Global Wellness Institute.

In his role, JD advocates and educates about the importance of sleep as part of an overall self care and wellness regimen. He connects the dots between the latest sleep science, product development and the habit changes required to achieve transformative rest.

A self-proclaimed sleep nerd, JD has transformed his bedroom into a dedicated recovery room and never uses an alarm clock. He wakes up every morning refreshed and ready to take on the day.

*Study surveyed 2,000 Americans on disruptors most impacting sleep.