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With a huge 726,000 yearly Google searches for “napping” across the USA, it’s clear that this is something Americans spend a lot of time doing! With our fast-paced lives, napping enables us to keep up and stay productive throughout the day.
But how often does the average American nap, and where do they most commonly curl up and get some shut-eye, if not in their beds? We surveyed 1,500 people across the states to find out all this and more.
Most American nappers doze for up to an hour at a time
More than one in four Americans nap two to three times a week, with 17% saying they get a short burst of shut-eye daily. Men are more likely to nap, with 20% of males taking daily naps, as opposed to 14% of women.
They say the perfect power nap should be no more than 20 minutes, but almost half of those who responded say they sleep for anywhere between 30-60 minutes, with women likely to take longer naps than men.
Those aged between 18-24 and 55+ are most likely to nap for the recommended amount, with one in two respondents saying they power nap for between 15-31 minutes; with everyone else sleeping for up to an hour.
Relaxation and fatigue are the two main reasons for napping
The most popular reason for napping amongst American males is to relax, with 45% citing this as their main reason, followed by combatting fatigue (41%), making up for lost sleep at night (30%), reducing stress (29%), and improving their mood (25%).
The results were similar for American women: fatigue and relaxation were the two most common reasons, at 39% and 37%, followed by making up for lost sleep (36%), reducing stress (27%), and alleviating a headache or migraine (23%).
97% of Americans said napping improved their productivity
Nearly all Americans said they felt more productive after having a nap, but a quick doze doesn’t come without its risks. Nearly half of Americans admitted to napping at work or school, with 10% saying they napped on the job, outside of lunch hours!
Nearly one in 10 say they’ve napped in a private office or cubicle, with more American males sleeping on the job compared to females, at 50% compared to 40%.
More than one in four Americans said they’d been found to be napping on the job – with men more likely to be caught than women, as well as nappers aged between 25-34.
And it turns out naps are great for getting out of social obligations you don’t want to go to, with 56% of Americans saying they’ve lied about getting some shut-eye, to avoid meeting up with people they don’t want to!
A key to a great nap is making sure you’re sleeping on the right mattress, with memory foam mattresses offering spinal alignment and pain relief; and cooling gel mattresses are ideal if you struggle to sleep because of the heat.
However, if your naps keep getting longer and longer, then you may be suffering from hypersomnia, in which case, there are ways you can stop sleeping too much; or alternatively, why not discover our tips on how to have the perfect nap?
Methodology
We’ve produced a national survey of 1,500 American respondents aged 18+ and in employment.
