Malcolm Owen
Data generated by the Apple Watch for the Apple Heart and Movement Study indicates that most people don't get enough sleep at night, and that people in Idaho get more sleep than West Virginia.
The Apple Heart and Movement Study was formed by Apple and Brigham and Women's Hospital, as well as the American Heart Association, in 2019 to initially look into early warning signs for atrial fibrillation (AFib). In a March data release, the same data demonstrates that people need to spend more time sleeping.
An update focusing on sleep released on March 7 reveals the average amount of time spent sleeping by project participants was 6 hours and 27 minutes. A mere 31.2% of people manage to achieve seven or more hours of sleep, meeting the minimum recommended by the AHA.
Most people manage between six and seven hours, with 39.7% of sleep reporters reaching that. Another 20.3% get between five and six hours a night, and 8.8% have less than 5 hours.
Sleep is considered an important area for health and wellness, with duration and consistency linked to various health topics including cardiovascular disease, metabolism, and brain health, explains BWH.
The same data set also revealed that participants in Washington, South Dakota, and Idaho are more likely to meet the minimum sleep recommendation. Those in Hawaii, Mississippi, and West Virginia are least likely to do so.
Researchers also spotted a fair bit of variance in when people go to sleep on a weekday versus a weekend. As you would expect, most people go to sleep before midnight on a weekday, with 66.4% doing so.
However, by the weekend, the chart as a while shifts later, with 56.6% hitting the hay before 12am.
The data is based on results from over 42,000 people who opted into the study on their Apple Watch and iPhone, via the Apple Research app.
The BWH offers advice to track sleep and improve sleep habits, including establishing a routine and staying as consistent with your sleep as possible. To measure slumber, it's suggested to set up sleep tracking on the Apple Watch, so you can see how you're resting over time.
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22 Comments
This is shocking. Umm, not. Next thing you know they’re going to do is conduct an extensive survey to tell us that a lot of those folks who aren’t sleeping enough are also under a lot of stress, suffering from anxiety, or they over-stimulated by devices and gadgets that spew media, entertainment, and doom & gloom into their eyes and ears 24x7x365. Sorry for the negative slant on this, but I didn’t get enough sleep last night - and for the past 20 years.
I am surprised that so many people wear them at night. I am retired, but if I was still having to go to work I would not have time to charge it before leaving. What do people still working do about that? By the way, I get congratulations all the time from my Apple Watch for beating my sleep goal, one of the many joys of retirement!