People Who Get A Good Night's Sleep Are Happier

By: Rachael Rettner Published: 03/02/2015 07:27 PM EST on LiveScience Happiness and a good night's sleep seem to go hand in hand, a new poll suggests. The survey of more than 7,000 U.S. adults revealed that people who reported getting more sleep also had a higher overall well-being than those who said they got less sleep. For example, the average well-being score for people who reported getting 8 hours of sleep a night was 65.7 out of 100, compared with 64.2 for those who got 7 hours of sleep and 59.4 for those who got 6 hours of sleep. Because the poll was conducted at one point in time, rather than over a long study period, it cannot say whether getting more sleep boosts well-being or if people who have higher well-being tend to get more sleep. The researchers, from Gallup and Healthways, calculated the well-being scores based on participants' answers to questions about their sense of purpose, social relationships, financial lives, community involvement and physical health. [7 Tips to Sleep Soundly Tonight] The survey also found that 42 percent of Americans get less than 7 hours of sleep a night, which is the minimum amount recommended by the National Sleep Foundation for people ages 18 and older. A number of factors may affect how much sleep people get, including their work hours, family obligations, conditions such as insomnia, or poor physical health. Because a person's well-being is also known to be connected to their level of engagement at work, employers may...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news