Insufficient Sleep - Women in Connecticut

Connecticut

Insufficient sleep has been recognized as a threat to public health. More than one-third of women in the United States regularly do not get enough sleep. Sleep is critical to essential functions such as cognitive processing, mood regulation, blood sugar level and immune system response.

Insufficient sleep has been associated with serious health problems, including heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease, stroke, obesity and depression. Research shows that shift work decreases sleep quality, increasing the risk of developing chronic sleep problems. 

Insufficient sleep has been shown to lead to reduced productivity and quality of life and increased risk of medical errors, industrial accidents and motor vehicle and other transportation accidents. A 2016 report by the Rand Corporation estimated that insufficient sleep costs the U.S. economy between $280 billion and $411 billion each year in missed work days and reduced productivity. According to this analysis, if those who sleep fewer than six hours nightly increase their sleep to between six and seven hours, the annual GDP could increase by as much as $226.6 billion.

It is common to have trouble sleeping during pregnancy due to hormonal and physical changes such as pressure on the diaphragm, increased urinary frequency, restless legs syndrome and a growing belly. Women who get insufficient sleep during pregnancy are at increased risk of complications, including high blood pressure (preeclampsia), gestational diabetes, longer labor time and higher rates of cesarean section.

Age, race and socioeconomic status strongly impact insufficient sleep. According to America’s Health Rankings data, the prevalence of insufficient sleep is higher among:

• Women ages 25-44 compared with women ages 18-24.
• Black women compared with white, Hispanic and Asian women.
• Women with lower levels of education compared with college graduates.
• Women with an annual household income less than $75,000 compared with those with an income of $75,000 or more.
• Women living in non-metropolitan areas compared with those in metropolitan areas.

The National Institutes of Health recommends that adults sleep seven to eight hours nightly. Habits that help build and maintain a healthy sleep cycle include following a consistent sleep schedule, limiting use of electronic devices before bedtime and exercising regularly. Recent research recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise, an hour or more before bedtime, for better sleep. Making up for lost sleep through naps may provide short-term boosts of attentiveness but does not provide the health benefits of regular, adequate nighttime sleep.

Policy solutions to address insufficient sleep in the United States are limited, though some industries have worked to minimize the hazards of insufficient sleep. For example, in 2011 the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education limited the number of consecutive hours first-year medical residents can be asked to work, which led to increased safety among employees and patients.

Healthy People 2030 has several sleep-related objectives, including: 

• Increasing the proportion of adults who get sufficient sleep. 
• Reducing the rate of motor vehicle crashes due to drowsy driving.

Grandner, Michael A., Nicholas J. Jackson, Bilgay Izci-Balserak, Rebecca A. Gallagher, Renee Murray-Bachman, Natasha J. Williams, Nirav P. Patel, and Girardin Jean-Louis. 2015. “Social and Behavioral Determinants of Perceived Insufficient Sleep.” Frontiers in Neurology 6 (112): 1–14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2015.00112.

Hafner, Marco, Martin Stepanek, Jirka Taylor, Wendy M. Troxel, and Christian Van Stolk. 2017. “Why Sleep Matters: The Economic Costs of Insufficient Sleep.” RR-1791-VH. Research Reports. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation. https://doi.org/10.7249/RR1791.

Institute of Medicine. 2006. Sleep Disorders and Sleep Deprivation: An Unmet Public Health Problem. Edited by Harvey R. Colten and Bruce M. Altevogt. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/11617.

Jackson, Chandra L., Susan Redline, and Karen M. Emmons. 2015. “Sleep as a Potential Fundamental Contributor to Disparities in Cardiovascular Health.” Annual Review of Public Health 36 (March): 417–40. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-031914-122838.

Kecklund, Göran, and John Axelsson. 2016. “Health Consequences of Shift Work and Insufficient Sleep.” BMJ 355 (8080). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.i5210.

Weaver, Matthew D., Christopher P. Landrigan, Jason P. Sullivan, Conor S. O’Brien, Salim Qadri, Natalie Viyaran, Wei Wang, Céline Vetter, Charles A. Czeisler, and Laura K. Barger. 2020. “The Association Between Resident Physician Work-Hour Regulations and Physician Safety and Health.” The American Journal of Medicine 133 (7): e343–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2019.12.053.