WASHINGTON, DC, March 29, 2005 –Many of America’s adults are sleeping poorly, and it’s taking a serious toll on professional relationships, productivity, public safety and even the most intimate aspects of our lives, according to a new poll released today by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF). The poll shows that sleep problems are widespread and on the rise, but they are often ignored.

NSF released the 2005 Sleep in America poll as part of its 8th annual National Sleep Awareness Week® campaign, which culminates with the return of Daylight Saving Time. This year’s campaign, March 28 – April 3, involves hundreds of partners in communities throughout the country. Additional highlights from this year’s poll follow.

Sleep Problems Affect Relationships

One or both partners are often too sleepy for sex, and many couples sleep apart because of a sleep problem.

The Sleep in America poll finds that among adults with spouses or other partners, sleep problems can be contagious and disruptive, and can cause relationships to suffer. A large majority of these respondents (77%) report that their partner has a sleep-related problem, and the most common problem is snoring. When disturbed by a bed partner’s sleep problems, the other partner loses an average of 49 minutes of sleep a night -- 300 hours a year! Nearly one-fourth of partnered adults say they have sex less often or have lost interest in sex because they are too sleepy. The poll data also show:

n About the same number of respondents (78%) whose partner has any type of sleep problem say they also frequently experience a sleep problem.

n Two-thirds of partnered adults say their partner snores, while 6 out of 10 of all adults (59%) say they snore. More than one-half (57%) of those who snore say their snoring bothers others.

n One-third of partnered adults (33%) say they have problems in their relationship because of their partner’s abnormal sleep.

n Three in ten adults with partners (31%) take measures to try to prevent their own sleep from being disturbed because of their partner’s sleep problem. Most sleep in a separate bed, bedroom or on the couch (23%).

"In my practice, I’ve found when couples are forced to sleep apart because of one partner’s sleep problems, it often has a terrible effect on the relationship," says Meir Kryger, M.D., co-chair of NSF’s 2005 poll task force. "It’s a move of last resort; the partner whose sleep is disturbed feels there is no alternative, but both partners are often devastated by this action," adds Kryger. Dr. Kryger is director of the Sleep Disorders Center at St. Boniface Hospital Research Center at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg; he is also an NSF director.

On at least a few nights of the week, the most popular activity in the hour before bedtime is watching television for nearly 9 out of 10 adults, while just over a quarter (27%) say they had sex. What sleep experts would consider poor sleep hygiene is evident in other activities, such as being on the Internet (28%), doing work related to their job (18%), drinking an alcoholic beverage (13%) and exercising (11%).


NSF Urges America’s Adults to Take the Following Steps:

n Learn to recognize symptoms of sleep problems and get them treated. Remember, one family member’s sleep problem can affect others, especially bed partners.

n Pay attention to the quantity and quality of your sleep. Be sure to get the amount of sleep you need to function at your best the next day.

Visit NSF’s newly redesigned Web site, www.sleepfoundation.org for a Summary of Findings of the 2005 Sleep in America poll along with other sleep-related information and useful assessment tools.