For the First Time, a Majority of Americans Are Underslept

Feel like you could have used an extra hour or two of sleep last night?  Welcome to the club.

According to a new Gallup poll, MOST of us aren’t getting as much sleep as we’d like.  It’s the first time that’s been the case since they started asking in 2001.

57% of Americans say they’d feel better if they got more shut-eye, and just 42% say they get as much sleep as they need.  Women are even more underslept.  Only 36% say they’re getting enough sleep, compared to 48% of men.

It’s all a pretty drastic change from when they asked in 2013.  A decade ago, 56% of Americans said they were getting enough sleep, and 43% weren’t.

But go further back, and the difference is pretty stark.  A poll in 1942 found 59% of Americans were getting at least eight hours of sleep a night, and only 3% were getting five hours or less.

Today, just 26% of us are getting eight hours, and the five-hour number has jumped to 20%.

(Gallup)