Easy Sleeping Tips: How Much Sleep You Need, and How to Get It

While recent findings from the Bureau of Labor Statistics paint a picture of most Americans receiving more than their fair share of sleep each night (their 2014 Time Use Survey found that Americans ages 15 and up sleep an average eight hours and 45 minutes every night), many question exactly how accurate those statistics actually are.

For example, to arrive at their numbers the BLS asked respondents what time they went to bed at night and what time they got out of bed in the morning. The problem, of course, is that many people don’t fall right to sleep when they get into bed at night, opting instead to catch up on emails, read or watch TV.

On the other hand, new reports on the prevalence of unhealthy sleep behaviors and self-reported sleep-related difficulties among U.S. adults have caused the CDC to call insufficient sleep a “public health epidemic.”

Whether you think you’re getting enough sleep every night or not, it’s essential to understand the importance of sleep, and especially for those of you who know you aren’t catching enough shut eye, it’s even more important to start working toward a healthy sleep routine.