Are Americans sleeping more or less?
According to new American Time Use Survey data, Americans now spend more time sleeping—or trying to sleep—than they did two decades ago.
Are Americans sleeping more or less than they used to? Of all the newsletter reader surveys we have conducted, these results have been the most lopsided. Nearly 9 in 10 newsletter readers guessed Americans are sleeping less or about the same amount.
But the American Time Use Survey, a survey from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) that’s tracked how Americans spend a 24-hour day since 2003, reveals contrary evidence. The survey shows that the average amount of time Americans dedicate to sleeping or attempting to sleep increased by 28 minutes per day from 2003 to 2024.
Americans have added, on average, 28 minutes of sleep since 2003.
Average hours of sleep per day for people ages 15 years and older, 2003–2024
People across almost all groups reported more sleep, including among men and women; across most races; and among people of every age bracket.
Average sleep length rose among almost all groups from 2003 to 2024
Average hours of sleep by demographic group, 2003 and 2024
Is this a real gain in sleep?
Before exploring some reasons for this increase, we should acknowledge there is some conflicting evidence about sleep trends. Different surveys sometimes report different results. For example, an analysis of National Health Interview Survey data found the number of short sleepers (people who sleep fewer than six hours per day) grew between 2004 and 2017. And, regardless of trends, many Americans are currently sleep-deprived. Roughly one-third of US adults report getting less than the recommended amount of sleep.
Plus, the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) does not allow us to parse the difference between actual sleep and lying in bed awake/trying to fall asleep. It is possible that some of the extra minutes of reported sleep over time are due to more people spending more time in bed, struggling to sleep. The 2020 National Health Interview Survey found that 14.5% of American adults had trouble falling asleep most days or every day in the 30 days prior to the survey.
That said, the ATUS data does go against the notion that Americans, due to busyness, are finding less time to try to rest. And there are a few factors that might actually be contributing to increased sleep among Americans.
Factors that might lead to more sleep
First, Americans are having fewer kids. The average adult in a household with a child younger than 18 sleeps about 32 minutes fewer than an adult in a household without children. The percent of childless households rose from 54.6% in 2003 to 58.4% in 2023.
The share of married and single-parent households has dropped over time.
Share of households by household type, 2003–2024
Second, a smaller share of Americans are in the workforce. The average full-time worker sleeps about 44 fewer minutes than the average person not in the workforce.
Americans not in the workforce average 44 more minutes of sleep than full-time workers.
Average hours of sleep by workforce status, 2024
And the percent of people in the workforce dropped from 66.4 percent at the start of 2003 to 62.4 percent at the end of 2025.
The labor force participation rate dropped nearly 4 percentage points from 2003 to 2025.
Labor force participation rate, February 2003–December 2025
Third, the US population is getting older — and elderly people tend to sleep more.
The average American 65 or older sleeps about nine minutes more than other Americans according to the American Time Use Survey. And the percent of the population over the age of 65 has consistently grown.
The share of the US population 65 and older has grown consistently over time.
Share of individuals ages 65 and older, 2003–2024
Fourth, an increasing percentage of Americans are working from home, which may allow for more sleep. Notably, the big increase in remote work since 2019 has coincided with a particularly large increase in sleep over the past few years.
The share of people working from home tripled from 2010 to 2024.
Share of workers ages 16 years and older who worked from home, 2010–2024
Fifth, Americans may be becoming more aware of sleep’s value.
While there is no official government data source on how Americans rate the importance of sleep, we can see some interesting trends in Americans’ search behavior. Google searches related to sleep have increased four fold since 2004.
Google searches related to sleep have risen 4-fold since 2004.
Google searches related to sleep, where peak interest in the search term equals 100
One study found that the increase in sleep has been due to less people watching television or reading shortly before bed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called these risk factors for failing to sleep.
That said, Google searches for “can't sleep” have risen 8-fold from 2004 to 2026, perhaps suggesting that some of the rise in reported sleep in the American Time Use Survey is due to people struggling to sleep rather than actually sleeping.
Google searches for "can't sleep" have risen 8-fold since 2004.
Google searches that include ‘can’t sleep,’ where peak interest in the search term equals 100, January 2004–January 2026
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