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Title: Are Young Adults Losing Out on Sleep? Changes in Sleep Duration in a U.S. Population-based Study
Resulting in 1 citation.
1. Walsemann, Katrina Michelle
Ailshire, Jennifer A.
Are Young Adults Losing Out on Sleep? Changes in Sleep Duration in a U.S. Population-based Study
Presented: Dublin, Ireland, Society for Longitudinal and Life Course Studies (SLLS) International Conference, October 2015
Cohort(s): NLSY97
Publisher: Society for Longitudinal and Life Course Studies
Keyword(s): Children; Educational Attainment; Gender Differences; Household Composition; Labor Force Participation; Sleep; Transition, Adulthood

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Chronic sleep problems are widespread in the U.S. population, affect an estimated 50 to 70 million U.S. adults, and are associated with a number of adverse health outcomes. We know relatively little about how sleep duration changes over time, and specifically how sleep duration changes over the course of early adulthood, a period marked by substantial transitions into and out of education, employment, and family roles. We use prospective data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, a U.S. based representative sample of persons born between 1980 and 1984. Baseline interviews were conducted in 1997, with annual follow-ups through 2011. Sleep duration was assessed in 2002, 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2011. We estimated random-coefficient models to examine how sleep duration changes during early adulthood as a function of demographic characteristics, educational experiences, employment, and family roles. Results indicate that sleep duration declines from 18 to 30 years old, from approximately 7.25 hours to 6.6 hours on a typical weeknight. Men sleep an average of 1.25 hours longer than women at age 18, but this sleep advantage declines to 18 minutes by age 30. Young adults with less than a high school education sleep longer than those with more education with the exception of college-educated young adults, and this difference does not change over time. Part-time and full-time workers report shorter sleep than non-workers, but over time, this difference narrows slightly. Finally, young adults with children in the household sleep consistently less than young adults with no children in the household. Overall, U.S. young adults experience shorter sleep over the course of early adulthood, but changes in sleep duration vary widely by demographic factors, education, employment, and family roles. This study is the first to establish how sleep duration changes during this important life stage.
Bibliography Citation
Walsemann, Katrina Michelle and Jennifer A. Ailshire. "Are Young Adults Losing Out on Sleep? Changes in Sleep Duration in a U.S. Population-based Study." Presented: Dublin, Ireland, Society for Longitudinal and Life Course Studies (SLLS) International Conference, October 2015.