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According to a recent study from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, most people aren’t getting enough sleep every night. The study, which was conducted using data from the Apple Heart and Movement Study, collected through the Apple Watch, analyzed sleep data from over 42,000 Apple Watch users.
The study found that just 31% of those people are getting at least seven hours of sleep per night, which is the minimum recommended for healthy adults by the American Heart Association. Not getting at least seven hours of sleep can put you at risk for a number of health issues, including cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline and dementia, depression, obesity, and higher blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels.
The researchers analyzed over 2.9 million nights of sleep from Apple Watch users and found that on weekdays, people go to bed before 12 a.m. 66.4% of the time, but that number drops to 56.6% on weekends. Washington had the highest proportion of people getting 7+ hours of sleep with 38.3%. Hawaii ranked lowest with 24.2%.
For participants who had shared at least 10 nights of sleep data (a total of 42,455 participants), the average amount of time asleep per individual was 6 hours and 27 minutes. Despite state-level differences, in all states, fewer than 40% of residents met the AHA’s recommended sleep duration.
The Apple Heart and Movement Study, which was first announced by Apple back in 2019, allows anyone to opt into it using the Apple Health app or the Apple Research app on their iPhone. Part one of the study has now been published, with part two of the “Life’s Essential 8 series” set to be released soon.
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The findings of this study are particularly relevant in today’s world, where many people are working long hours and experiencing high levels of stress. With so many people struggling to get enough sleep, it’s important to make sleep a priority and take steps to improve our sleep habits.
This might involve establishing a regular bedtime routine, limiting screen time before bed, and avoiding caffeine and alcohol in the evening. By making sleep a priority, we can improve our overall health and well-being.