Do Coloradans Get Good Sleep? Here’s What a New Ranking Says
Sleep is one of the most critical elements of human life, being that it is equally as important as diet and exercise when it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. According to the National Institutes of Health, not getting enough sleep can actually increase your chances of heart disease, stroke, obesity, and even dementia.
Recently, a new ranking was released by MattressNextDay to find out which state has the best sleep habits.
As it turns out, Colorado is in the top three in terms of sleep hygiene, with a final rating of 36.56. That’s right, according to the poll, we get some of the best sleep in the entire country. Let’s take a deeper dive into the poll to see why Colorado ranks so highly.
Coloradans Are Getting the Right Amount of Exercise to Promote Good Sleep Habits
According to the poll, Colorado ranks third when it comes to states that do the right amount of exercise. It also notes that Colorado is the state with the least amount of people who do no exercise whatsoever. To anyone who knows Colorado, these statistics may not be surprising; in fact, our state has consistently been ranked as the most physically active in the past.
However, the amount of exercise people do can have direct correlations to sleep quality. According to the Sleep Foundation, consistent exercise can play a key role in how long it takes for someone to fall asleep. It also can lower the amount of time people lay awake in bed at night.
Coloradans Consistently Get More Sleep Than Any Other State
The poll also notes that Coloradans are the most likely to get more than seven hours of sleep per night. According to the Sleep Foundation, seven hours of sleep per night is the minimum recommended amount to be able to go about their daily lives without the negative side effects of sleep deprivation.
While they have not observed any negative impacts to getting exactly seven hours of sleep a night, the Sleep Foundation notes that it leaves people with less of a margin for error. For example, if you go to bed with the goal of sleeping for seven hours but have a hard time falling asleep, you’ll be much less likely to hit your minimum amount. They also say the amount of sleep individuals need can vary, with some needing eight or more hours to be fully functional. However, it is would seem Coloradans struggle less than anyone in the country with getting a full night of rest.
Where Colorado Falls Behind in Terms of Sleep Hygiene
While Colorado ranks highly in terms of exercise and length of sleep, there are a few categories where the state falters. For instance, the poll looks to see the amount of times people in the state searched sleep hygiene terms along with the searches per month per 10,000 people. Colorado ranks 22nd and 36th in these categories, respectively.
Another factor of the poll that brings Colorado’s ranking down is the percentage of people who have been told they have depression. For this ranking, Colorado sits in the middle of the pack at 25th.
Depression can heavily affect sleep quality. According to Johns Hopkins University, 75% of people with depression have reported having trouble being able to go to sleep and stay asleep. They also note that depression can lead people to feel tired during the day as well.
How Does Colorado's Sleep Hygiene Stack Up Compared to the Rest of the Country?
In the list, only California and Florida rank higher than Colorado, with their total scores coming in at 47.24 and 40.91, respectively.
Here are the top five best states for sleep hygiene according to the poll:
- California - 47.24
- Florida - 40.91
- Colorado - 36.56
- Washington - 36.16
- Texas - 35.90
On the other hand, West Virginia ranked the lowest in the poll. The Mountain State ranked in the bottom 10 in each category, ranking last in both sleep hygiene searches per month per 10,000 and the percentage of residents told they have depression. Let’s hope they are able to rebound sometime soon.
Here are the top five worst states for sleep hygiene according to the poll:
- Mississippi - 11.29
- Alabama - 9.91
- Arkansas - 9.81
- Kentucky - 2.96
- West Virginia - 2.37
Look: See 25 Other Times Colorado Was Ranked High in National Polls
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