The top things to think about to get a good night’s sleep are your favorite moments of the past day (45%), your partner or family (44%) and work (36%), new research found.
A survey of 2,000 U.S. adults split evenly by generation revealed that while a common belief among Americans may be that thinking about work before bed prevents a good night’s rest, thinking about your career before bed actually could help you sleep more soundly.
The research also delved into the latest insights tied to Americans’ sleep habits and bedtime routines and discovered several generational differences.
Conducted by OnePoll for Serta Simmons Bedding, the data found that millennials (56%) are the most likely to think about their favorite moments of the past day before they doze off, while Gen X (39%) is least likely to think about their day and most likely of all the generations to think about their career (38%).
That’s not the only generational difference when it comes to sleep habits.
The survey also found that Gen Z is most likely to prioritize sleep more broadly (61%) and revealed that they are the generation most likely to not finish their nighttime routine before dozing off for the day, as they are the most likely to fall asleep with their phone (68%), forget to brush their teeth (53%), or fall asleep with their day clothes on (47%).
Meanwhile, Gen X appears to be the best at unplugging before bed as they are the generation that is the least likely to fall asleep with their phone (25%).
Additionally, recent research explored how much time the average person spends getting ready for bed and found that, on average, an individual spends 162 hours on their nighttime routines over the year (over 26 minutes per day). What goes into that routine can differ by generation. More than one-third of millennials take showers or baths before bed (36%) compared to 19% of Gen Z respondents.
More than a quarter of boomers (28%) need to watch a series/movie before they shut their eyes for the night, compared to just 19% of Gen Z.
Generation Z’s nighttime routine predominantly consists of turning on a fan (22%), putting on a sleep mask (21%), writing in a journal (20%), reading (20%), listening to music (20%) and creating a to-do list for the next day (20%).
And they don’t want to sacrifice it — 18–26-year-olds are most likely to instead shorten their morning routines (43%) whereas Gen X (40%) and boomers (39%) are most likely to condense their bedtime routine to get more shut-eye.
The survey also looked at when people go to sleep, with 38% of people describing themselves as early birds and 22% referring to themselves as night owls (33% responded they are both equally early birds and night owls).
