Americans Weigh in on the Ingredients for the Best Sleep: A Cozy Blanket in a Cool Room

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It’s official: the best sleep comes from huddling under a cozy blanket in a quiet, cool room.

That’s according to a new survey of 2,000 Americans that found just two in five would rate their quality of sleep as “excellent” (41%). Further, less than a third of adults feel refreshed when waking up in the morning (30%).

A report from theDivision of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical Schoolcited the various effects sleep has on wellness, such as reducing the risks of serious health conditions and increasing the chances of a greater lifespan.

This could be why seven in 10 Americans said they need their nighttime environment to be a certain way to get their best sleep (71%).

Getting shut-eye in a silent room (31%) with some light on (72%) also contributes to “excellent” sleep — especially for boomers who prefer these conditions more so than millennial and Gen X respondents.

However, preferences differ regionally, with respondents in the Northeast being more than twice as likely to prefer a warm room than their southern counterparts.

And while more people prefer to sleep with some light than a completely dark room (36% vs. 29%), snoozing with sound on is just as common as without (34% vs. 33%).

The data further suggests that falling asleep is challenging for many people. Two in three have trouble falling asleep thinking about everything they have to do the next day.

What likely keeps people up at night is being worried about their family (42%) or work (41%).

While the average person wakes up twice a night, more than a quarter (29%) of those who have “bad” sleep find themselves wide awake at least five times a night.

Forty-three percent of respondents said they would give up coffee for better sleep, and 30% would sacrifice dessert.

source: people.com