The Pew Research Center's Nap Time Study
Feeling drowsy? You're not alone. On a typical day, a third of the adults (34%) in the United States take a nap.
Napping thrives among all demographic groups, but it's more widespread among some than others, according to a Pew Research Center Social & Demographic Trends survey of a nationally representative sample of 1,488 adults.
More men than women report that they caught a little snooze in the past 24 hours -- 38% vs. 31%. This gender gap occurs almost entirely among older adults. More than four-in-ten ( 41%) men ages 50 and older say they napped in the past day, compared with just 28% of women of the same age. Below the age of 50, men and women are about equally likely to say they napped in the past day (35% vs. 34%).
There are distinctive racial patterns to napping. Half of the black adults in our survey say they napped in the past 24 hours, compared with just a third of whites and Hispanics.
Napping is quite common at the lower end of the income scale; some 42% of adults with an annual income below $30,000 report they napped in the past day. As income rises, napping declines. However, at the upper end of the scale (adults whose annual income is $100,000 or above) the tendency to nap revives and reverts to the mean.
Napping spikes among the old -- but only among the very old. More than half of adults ages 80 and older say they napped in the past day. Among every other age group in the survey -- including both the young (ages 18 to 29) and the old (ages 70 to 79) -- about a third say they napped in the past 24 hours.
These findings are based on responses to a question in a wide-ranging survey about aging that asked people if they had engaged in each of 10 different activities in the past 24 hours -- among them driving a car, getting some exercise, going shopping, watching television, using the internet, praying and taking a nap.
Trouble Sleeping?
The survey also asked respondents if they had trouble sleeping in the past 24 hours -- and, not surprisingly, it finds a correlation between nap-taking and trouble sleeping.
Among those who reported they'd had trouble sleeping in the past day (about a quarter of the sample), more than four-in-ten (41%) also reported that they'd taken a nap. Among those who said they did not have trouble sleeping (about three-quarters of the sample), just 32% reported having taken a nap.
Interestingly, however, the gender patterns related to "having trouble sleeping" are quite different from those related to napping. In spite of the fact that women are less likely than men to report having napped in past 24 hours (31% vs. 38%), they are more likely than men to report having had trouble sleeping (29% vs. 22%) in the past 24 hours.
Weekends vs. Weekdays
Napping might seem like a natural weekend activity -- after all, that's when the nettlesome world of work serves up the fewest distractions. But our survey -- which was administered seven days a week over the course of a month -- found no statistically significant difference in the prevalence of weekend versus weekday napping.
The explanation has to do with the napping patterns of the adults who are unemployed (either because they can't find work or because they're retired). This group takes more naps during the week than on the weekends, balancing out the very slight tendency of employed adults to nap more on weekends than on weekdays.
Happy Nappers? Yes, But...
There are plenty of happy nappers, but, overall, our survey finds a correlation that runs in the other direction. People who aren't happy are more likely to nap on a given day than are people who are very happy (43% vs. 31%). Likewise, unhappy adults are much more likely than very happy adults to report having had trouble sleeping in the past 24 hours (46% vs. 18%).
The same patterns apply to people of all ages who report that they are in poor health. Unhealthy adults report taking more naps than others, and also report having more trouble sleeping than others.
Similarly, older adults who are experiencing problems associated with aging -- including an inability to live independently -- are more likely than other older adults to say that they had trouble sleeping and that they took a nap in the past 24 hours (1).
Exercise and Napping
It's not clear whether exercise leads to napping or napping to exercise, but there's a bit of a correlation between the two. Among survey respondents who say they got vigorous exercise in the past 24 hours, some 37% also say they napped in the past 24 hours. Among those who didn't get exercise in that time period, just 30% say they napped.
Money and Sleep
Do people who are financially well off sleep better at night? The evidence from our survey is mixed. On the one hand, there's no statistically significant difference in "trouble sleeping" between those adults in our survey whose annual income is $100,000 and above and those who live on $30,000 to under $100,000 a year.
On the other hand, having very little money is associated with restless nights. Among those whose annual income is below $20,000, some 35% say they had trouble sleeping last night, compared with just 22% of those who earn $100,000 or more.
In addition, no matter what your annual income level, if you are dissatisfied with your financial situation, you're twice as likely to report having had trouble sleeping last night than if you're satisfied (40% versus 19%).
Miscellaneous
When it comes to napping patterns, there's no difference between those who are married and unmarried, or between adults who have children at home and those who don't. Also, it makes no difference if you live in the East, West, North or South. Or in a city, a suburb or a rural area. About a third of all these groups nap daily.
On the other hand, the college-educated are less likely to nap than are those who did not complete high school. But it's jut possible that the folks with the academic degrees are outsmarting themselves, for there's a lot of medical research which says that a daily nap can be good for you (2).
The survey questionnaire on which this report is based was written by the staff of the Pew Research Center Social & Demographic Trends project, including Paul Taylor, director, Kim Parker, senior researcher, Rich Morin, senior editor, D'Vera Cohn, senior writer and Wendy Wang, research associate. To read our report based on the full survey questionnaire, go to
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Boy do I love to take naps! Weekends are best. I like to stretch out on the sofa, in my elastic-waist sweatpants, with a baseball game (slow and boring) on TV. The problem is when the TV commericals come on -- the volume is often so loud, not only does it wake me, but I wake-up startled, my heart thumping twice it's normal speed.
But guess what? It looks like broadcasters and advertisers will no longer be able to do this, according to an article on Ethic Soup blog. Hallelujah! This has borthered me for years. If I'm not napping, but just sitting in front of the TV with a bowl of popcorn on my lap, or God forbid a plate of spaghetti, come commercial time and the damn sound level makes me jerk and whatever I"m eating goes everywhere. I just don't move fast enough to grab the remote and mute the TV before I'm startled -- along with the cats. You can learn about the new legislation to lower blasting commercials' sound at:
http://www.ethicsoup.com/2009/06/loud-tv-commericals-may-be-forced-to-a-lower-volume.html
One of the best parts about napping is that you wake up feeling like it's a new day, so you're getting 2 days in one. That's 2 energy kicks, after the coffee, that is. :)
I am now retired, but I can testify to the benefits of an hour's nap at noon. When I worked for an
Actuarial firm my job involved translating pencil calculations on long spreadsheets into the computer processing. Exactly at noon, when everyone else went to their favorite lunch spot, I would set in the lobby of my building, with my brown bag, open a book, and almost instantly fall into sleep.
My body would remain in seated position (people have told me that the books remained held open as if I was actually reading) for the lunch hour. I seemed to be aware of the time spent and would revive refreshed at the end of the lunch period.
If I missed the nap, something in the brain would continue to attempt to process whatever it does during a nap in bursts for the rest of the day. I would fall into a something like state while interacting with the computer screen. Most dangerously, without a nap, I have entered that napping state while driving!!!! I continued to "see" the cars ahead of me and for brief periods (I was never involved in an actual accident) drove actively in a "world" that was experienced as real. My wife had the misfortune to be a passenger during one of these episodes and quite naturally freaked out at its occurence at some 50 miles per hour on a freeway!!!
Interesting, that is almost exactly how it is with me. I am a computer engineer in my 50s but have had a daily nap schedule for most of my life. Usually about 15 to 30 minutes after lunch time. If I don't get a nap my afternoon productivity suffers. And driving... I don't even consider it unless I have napped (even if it is in the parking lot after a days work).
How can anyone nap? I feel so guilty. What is that about?!
If you discovered that your daily productivity was increased significantly by having a nap, would you feel less guilty. The siesta is concentrated around areas that have significant heat and sunlight. Maybe that's why the expression is "only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noon day sun."
Nothing to feel guilty about. If nothing else, it's one of life's greatest pleasures. Ask any dog or cat, or anyone who naps regularly!
If so many people nap, why is there no siesta in the United States like there is in so many countries. While I was traveling in Morocco, a Moroccan friend pointed out that the time given midday for prayers, many people actually use for napping.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siesta
Sometimes I can't sleep at all and sometimes that's all I can do. Literally, I can wake up from a long sleep only to return to a long nap within a half hour.
I fly freight at night. If it wasn't for naps (and coffee, lots of coffee) I wouldn't survive.
Um, so napping in the daytime means you can't sleep at night. Well...duh. How much did that study cost?
I'd like to be able to take small (15 min.) power naps, and I think it would increase productivity and innovation, but our corporate overlords don't like that. They would rather we pumped ourselves full of coffee and work feverishly with fewer breaks for less and less pay. We should not only have naps at work, we should be able to choose our hours (and number of days per week), and our vacation time should be like Europe's (they get 1-3 months of vacation per year). If we are less productive, f#ck it. We have been far more productive than most countries for decades, and we have nothing to show for it. Our corporate overlords have plenty to show for their exploitation of us, but they still managed to screw-up the entire world's economy. How long have the "big three" been making and selling cars? And they didn't save any money for a rainy day? I could run a car company better than they did, and I don't know jack about cars. Those CEOs get naps whenever and wherever they want. That's how they stay sharp.
Funny! I laughed so hard I need a nap!
Hahahahahahaha!
Yeah, napping during the day is pretty difficult. My work refuse to put a couch in the break room, and the parking lot has no shade so it's really hot right now. At least now that we're getting furloughs I can nap at home until they reinstate our vacation time accrual. Good times.
I was going to make a comment but,
it's time for my nap ...
Man, I am going to be tired after all this laughing, you guys are killing me!
After reading all that, I need a nap!
To make this study accurate women married over five years can't count the times they nap during sex with their husbands! It's almost a given but us guys don't really mind much.
I nap anywhere I'm forced to wait where Fox news is playing on the waiting room television. That's just about every waiting room in South Carolina; including military installations.
Ha, good one, sounds like Urgent Care in California.
I know this is totally OT, but WHY does every waiting area (and tons of restaurants, etc) feel they HAVE to have a TV at all! ?
Because most people can't read books due to their short attention spans. They respond best to visual stimulation.
I have the same exact problem in Texas. Go figure! I have a rule though: If I walk into a place that is playing Faux News, I walk right back out and give my money to an establishment that isn't broadcasting propaganda. I don't care how far I have to drive, I'm not contributing to those idiots or their followers anymore.
Side question: Does anyone else see the many similarities of Palin to Bush? Same pronunciation of nuclear (nookular), same redneck appeal, same grasp of facts and reality (none at all), and the same hardheadedness. The more I think about it, the scarier the resemblances become. Are there any photos with them together in the same place? There are "conservatives" (or idiots, same thing) who wouldn't want a 3rd term for Bush, but would vote for Palin. WTF?!? It's the same thing! If they think the same, they will "decide" the same kinds of things. Anyone else notice the similarities?
I wish I could nap daily. Whenever I do get 15 - 20 minutes in the afternoon for a quick snooze, the rest of the day is much more productive thatn it otherwise would be.
They should have asked people in the survey if they felt that napping was a waste of precious time when they could have been "getting things done" instead. My suspicion is that Americans are too uptight to take the time to have a little siesta, even if they are feeling fatigued and dragging. It's part of that attitude of "I'm too important to take a vacation" kind of thing.
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First Posted: 07-29-09 07:59 AM | Updated: 07-29-09 05:15 PM