Study Finds: Sleep Quality Deteriorates After the Age of 24

A recent survey reveals not-so-good news for those facing sleeping difficulties at a younger age. Reportedly, sleep quality after the age of 24 goes on a downward spiral due to several reasons, such as: 

• family-related obligations and stress 
• work stress 
• room temperature.

Financial worries were fourth on the list of most cited issues, followed by excessive screen time.

The research, conducted by the wellness company doTERRA, evaluated the experience with sleep of 2,000 individuals during different life periods.

About half of the respondents said they’d slept better when they were younger. After that, the number of people satisfied with their sleep quality gets lower and lower. What’s more, 37% of them even described their sleep between the ages of 25 and 54 as the worst of their lives.

Unfortunately, just 4% reported having a good night’s sleep between the ages of 45 and 54. In addition, over the age of 55, the percentage of people reporting satisfying sleep is even lower—a scary 3%!

The situation is similar in the US. Stats show that about 37% of the adults aged 65 to 74 and 47% of those older than 75 use over-the-counter sleep aids at least 15 nights a month.

So, why does sleep worsen as we age?

According to sleep experts, this can be explained by the fact that younger people face fewer of the major stress factors cited above. Plus, sleep doctors believe that young people’s physical fitness also allows them to get a good night’s sleep.

Over 50% of participants in the abovementioned survey said they rarely or never sleep enough, while only 14% said they get at least eight hours of sleep per night. 

Approximately a third (33%) reported getting seven hours of sleep a night regularly, while a quarter claimed they get six hours of sleep. Finally, 24% of the respondents even reported living with just five hours of sleep or less. 

Taking into consideration these devastating numbers, the rising number of sleep aid users isn’t surprising in the least.