You know how crappy you feel when you don’t get a good night’s rest due to nuisances like squabbling neighbors or nagging work worries? You’re living proof of the findings of a recent study that says Americans who get more hours of sleep per night have higher overall well-being than those who typically get fewer hours.
The findings are based on interviews with 7,058 U.S. adults as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. The Well-Being Index measures five elements of well-being: purpose, social, financial, community, and physical.
Those who usually sleep seven hours per night have a higher well-being score over those who typically sleep for six hours. People under age 65, who manage to get eight hours of sleep at night have the highest happiness scores. The effect peaks out at eight hours (seven hours for those over 65).
Forty-two percent of U.S. adults report getting less than seven hours of sleep on a typical night, the minimum number of sleep hours recommended by the National Sleep Foundation.
No wonder so many folks seem cranky these days.
Photo by Claudia Mañas on Unsplash