Dispelling a sleep myth: Our sleep has been getting worse in the modern era

Many people believe sleep duration has been declining over time due to factors like artificial lighting, digital screens, and increased stress. However, data tells a different story.

What does the evidence say?

Since 1960, researchers have been tracking sleep duration, and the results are clear: for at least the past 60 years, average sleep has remained stable at around 7.3 hours per night.

Where did this myth come from?

There are a few reasons why people perceive sleep to be getting worse:

• Aging and personal memory – Older adults tend to sleep less than younger people. This natural change can create the illusion that sleep duration declines over a lifetime when, in reality, each age group is sleeping about the same as previous generations did at the same stage of life.
• Blue light and technology – Exposure to blue light in the evening does mildly impact sleep quality, but the idea that technology has dramatically reduced sleep duration isn’t well-supported by evidence. While screens are more common than ever, population-wide sleep duration has not significantly declined.

Sleep, performance, and workplace risk

While sleep duration may not have changed, sleep quality is a different story—workplace stress, shift patterns, and high cognitive demands can all contribute to poor recovery. Understanding and addressing these risks is critical for both employee wellbeing and organisational performance.

MOAI Health works with businesses to build practical, evidence-based strategies for managing workplace risk factors, including sleep. If you’re interested in improving mental resilience and productivity in your organisation, get in touch to learn more about our training programmes.

References:

1. Youngstedt, S. D., Goff, E. E., Reynolds, A. M., Kripke, D. F., Irwin, M. R., Bootzin, R. R., Khan, N., & Jean-Louis, G. (2016). Has adult sleep duration declined over the last 50+ years? Sleep Medicine Reviews, 28, 69–85. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.SMRV.2015.08.004
2. Shechter, A., Quispe, K. A., Barbecho, J. S. M., Slater, C., & Falzon, L. (2020). Interventions to reduce short-wavelength (“blue”) light exposure at night and their effects on sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis. SLEEP Advances, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.1093/SLEEPADVANCES/ZPAA002