Sleep Foundation, a source for information about sleep, has released a new survey finding Detroit ranks as the worst city for sleep with nearly half (45.6 percent) of its residents getting fewer than 7 hours of sleep per night.
While all towns in America sleep differently, specific health and environmental factors come into play when determining why some cities sleep better, and others sleep worse, according to Melissa Milanak, founder of Ming Impact Consulting and an associate professor at the Medical University of South Carolina.
Light pollution is a contributing factor to Detroit’s result as are all of the city’s health indicators, which are worse than the U.S. average. Obesity and lack of leisure time are issues in Detroit more than any other town in the ranking, according to the Sleep Foundation, which could be attributed to some socioeconomic factors.
“Where you live definitely has an effect on your sleep,” says Milanak. “So, if we think about the factors that can impact sleep, temperature, for instance, is one of those. We want your bedroom environment to be cold when you’re sleeping, but cold can be relative, say, if you’re living in Alaska versus living in Arizona or in Florida.
“Altitude is a big one that people don’t always think about — if your body is working harder to get oxygen, that could impact your sleep and increase daytime sleepiness. Temperature, humidity, altitude, noise pollution, air quality, and light pollution can all have a significant impact.”
Key findings about Detroit:
- Five of the worst-slept cities also are among the top 20 cities with sleep-disrupting bed bugs: Philadelphia, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Detroit, and Baltimore.
- 6 percent of its population gets fewer than 7 hours of sleep each night.
- 9 percent have no health insurance.
- 6 percent of residents have little time for exercise.
- 5 percent are obese.
- 21 percent have depression.
To read the full report, visit here.
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