The average American will spend 36 years in bed over the course of their lifetime, according to new research.
This jaw-dropping new statistic emerged in a new study of 2,000 Americans which aimed, among other things, to reveal just how long we spend lying on our beds.
When adding up how long we sleep (seven hours) and how long we’re awake just relaxing and watching TV (four hours) every day, the average American was revealed to spend 11 hours a day laying on their bed — that’s nearly half of our lifetime.
The survey, conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Slumber Cloud, also found that, even though we spend so much time in our bed, only 53 percent of Americans can confidently say they really like their bed.
In fact, three in four Americans (75 percent) actually think that their bed could stand to be more comfortable than it is.
Interestingly, only half of the respondents (50 percent) were able to say that their bed has a positive effect on their sleep — only half.
Another four in ten Americans surveyed they have actually physically gotten up from their bed in the middle of the night and moved to another piece of furniture in the house because they couldn’t get to sleep on their bed.
With so many people unhappy with their beds, it’s a wonder why the piece of furniture we will spend nearly half of our life on would be anything but the most comfortable thing imaginable.
According to the results, over one in three Americans (35 percent) said they, amazingly, prioritize style over comfort when it comes to their bed — meaning they’d rather it look presentable than be comfortable.
“You don’t have to sacrifice style for comfort,” said Katie Mellott of Slumber Cloud. “It is about building your dream bed that gives you the most comfortable sleep without sacrificing style. Here are 3 tips to help you build your dream bed: 1) Add bright pillows or blankets for a stylish look that complements your core comfortable bedding. 2) Set the foundation for a better sleep with a cooling mattress pad that combats the heat other layers like stylish comforters may cause. 3) Pick sheets with lower thread counts (300–450 range) as these not only look great but tend to be a higher quality fiber that won’t trap heat and moisture.”
But it is not just feeling well-rested that a good night sleep can grant us. The survey went on to find other ways a good night sleep is beneficial.
For many, health comes into play. 65 percent of Americans said they would be more likely to physical exercise if they got a good night sleep the night before.
64 percent of Americans also feel like they’d be in better physical shape if they could just get in the habit of having good sleep.
The survey also posed a simple question to the respondents: if you had an extra hour in every day, how would you prefer to spend it? The top answer: sleeping.
“We’d all love an extra hour of sleep, but usually that’s not always possible — what is possible is a higher quality sleep,” continued Mellott. “We’ve found that a common cause of poor sleep is due to waking up too hot.”
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