Summary: A survey commissioned by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) reveals that nearly half (46%) of Americans are losing sleep due to anxiety surrounding the 2024 presidential election. Other major stressors impacting sleep include financial concerns (81%), job security (57%), global conflicts (54%), and emerging technologies like AI (41%). AASM sleep expert Andrew Spector, MD, offers tips for reducing sleep disturbances, including limiting social media before bed and not obsessing over sleep.
Key Takeaways:
- Election Anxiety: 46% of Americans report losing sleep over worries about the 2024 election.
- Broader Concerns: Most Americans’ sleep has been impacted by financial stress (81%), with global issues also contributing.
- Sleep Tips: Experts recommend reducing social media use and normalizing an active mind before bed to improve sleep.
As the 2024 United States presidential election approaches, a survey from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine reveals that nearly half of people (46%) have lost sleep due to worries about the election.
Election night itself adds another layer of fatigue, with 34% of respondents reporting that they feel tired the morning after Election Day.
Election-related stress isn’t the only factor affecting American’s rest, however. The survey highlights that 81% of people have lost sleep due to financial concerns, while 57% report job security as a source of sleep loss. Additionally, more than half (54%) of adults have lost sleep due to worries about global conflict, and 41% of people have lost sleep due to worries about AI and emerging technology.
“Worries surrounding the election and other major global issues can trigger a cycle of anxiety and sleeplessness, which takes a serious toll on mental and physical health,” says Andrew Spector, MD, sleep medicine physician and spokesperson for the AASM, in a release. “The world is stressful enough without adding the strain of sleepless nights.”
Tips to Improve Sleep
As the election draws closer, Spector offers the following tips:
- Reduce your social media consumption, particularly before bedtime. Scrolling prevents sleeping, even if it isn’t stressing you out.
- Avoid alcohol close to bedtime. Even if you fall asleep faster, the quality of your sleep will be worse.
- Normalize an active mind at night. Brains don’t shut off at night any more than hearts and lungs do. Trying to clear your mind can be stressful and make it harder to fall asleep.
- Take time for yourself. Before bed, do something that puts you in a relaxed state. It’s ok if that involves a screen.
- Don’t obsess over your sleep. If you sleep a little less until the election is over, it’s not a disaster. Just try to get back to your routine as soon as you can.
“We live in an information-saturated world, which can overwhelm our ability to unwind at night,” says Spector in a release. “Incorporating small changes, like disconnecting from news and social media before bed, can help reduce sleep disturbances and ensure that we’re better equipped to handle the stresses of daily life, including those that come with major events like an election.”
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