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Sleepless in Hawaii: The Aloha state leads nation in getting too little sleep

February 18, 2016
The number of sleep disorder patients is on the increase. (Korea Times file)

Nearly 10 percent of Americans, by some estimates, suffer chronic insomnia and may seek a physician’s help. (Korea Times file)

NEW YORK (AP) — Tired of hearing that more than a third of U.S. adults don’t get enough sleep? Here’s something new: a government report about which states get the most sack time.

It says South Dakota has the largest proportion of residents who get at least seven hours of sleep each night.

Hawaii — often thought of as a peaceful vacation spot — has the lowest proportion.

Here’s the lowdown:

THE PROBLEM

For adults, the recommended amount of sleep is seven to nine hours each night. Past studies have found that more than one-third of U.S. adults get less. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday released a new round of national survey data that found the same thing.

Some of those people — nearly 10 percent of Americans, by some estimates — suffer chronic insomnia and may seek a physician’s help. Inadequate sleep has been tied to the start and worsening of a range of diseases and conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, obesity and depression.

THE STATES

The latest CDC report, based on surveys of more 444,000 adults in 2014, for the first time offers a look at findings in all 50 states. The Great Plains states led the nation in healthy sleep, buoyed by South Dakota, where 72 percent of those surveyed said they averaged at least 7 hours nightly.

The South and Appalachian states got the least sleep as a region. But Hawaii was the worst individual state, where 56 percent of respondents got the recommended amount of sleep. The report also found that while two-thirds of white people nationally got enough sleep, only about half of blacks, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders did.

THE RECOMMENDATION

The report didn’t dig into why certain states or racial groups got less sleep than others. Experts believe several factors could be involved. For example, people with steady jobs and normal work hours tend to get more sleep than others. Smoking and health problems also can rob people of sleep, said the CDC’s Anne Wheaton, one of the report’s authors.

Doctors offer tips for good sleeping that include sticking to a regular bedtime schedule, getting exercise each day and avoiding caffeine and nicotine at night.