Gen Z in the US Sleeps by 9 PM... "Taking Care of Health and Saving Money"

Ages 18-34 Sleep Earlier and Longer
WSJ: Dining Out and Entertainment Industries Also Affected

Recently, it has been reported that more young people in the United States are going to bed early and getting long hours of sleep for their health.

On the 1st (local time), the US daily Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported, "Recently, young people aged 18 to 35 choose to go to bed early for their health rather than staying out late at night."

According to a survey conducted by Sleep Number, a US mattress manufacturer, targeting 2 million customers, the average bedtime of customers aged 18 to 34 last month was 10:06 PM. This is 12 minutes earlier than 10:18 PM in January last year.

Madeline Seog (25), who lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma, said, "I have adapted to going to bed at 9 PM," adding, "Going to bed early saves me hundreds of dollars that I used to spend on late-night snacks and alcohol."

Emma Craft (19), a student at the University of California, Berkeley, also said, "I try to fall asleep before 9:30 PM every night," and added, "Nothing good happens to me after 9 PM."

Not only is bedtime getting earlier, but sleep duration is also increasing. According to a survey by RentCafe, a US real estate information provider, the average daily sleep time of people in their 20s in the US was 9 hours and 28 minutes in 2022. This is an 8% increase compared to 8 hours and 47 minutes for people in their 20s in 2010. During the same period, the increase in average daily sleep time for people in their 30s and 40s was less than that of those in their 20s.

Meanwhile, WSJ reported that the dining and entertainment industries are also being affected by this trend. On the restaurant rating site Yelp, the proportion of reservations between 6 PM and midnight has decreased, while the proportion of restaurant reservations between 4 PM and 6 PM has risen to 31%, up from 19% in 2017.

The pub "Joyface" in New York's East Village held four "matinee" events (performances held during weekday daytime) starting at 5 PM last year. At the matinee held on December 31 last year, participants counted down to the New Year at 8 PM instead of midnight, and the event received an explosive response with a waiting list of 200 people.

John Winkleman, a sleep disorder specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital, said, "People seem to have become a bit hypersensitive about sleep," pointing out, "There is no inherent benefit to going to bed early unless you have to wake up before 3 AM." However, he added, "Maintaining consistent bedtime and sleep time definitely has advantages."

According to various studies, the appropriate and health-beneficial sleep duration is known to be around 7 hours. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is conducting a project to determine appropriate sleep times and recommends 7 to 8 hours as the ideal sleep duration.