Regional cultures and insufficient sleep in the United States.

backgroundInsufficient sleep can increase the risk of health problems and chronic conditions including cognitive problems, increased inflammation, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and overall mortality. In this report, insufficient sleep, as a cultural experience, was tracked across the United States according to the American Nations model of U.S. regional cultures.

methodsCounty Health Rankings & Roadmaps program data relating to insufficient sleep were matched at the zip-code level with the American Nations dataset from the Nationhood Lab. Percentages for the insufficient sleep metric were then estimated using the population of each of the American Nations.

resultsHigh levels of sleep insufficiency across all regional cultures indicate considerable room for improvement and a potential need to prioritize sleep hygiene as a health concern. ANOVA results show significant differences among the 13 American Nations and indicate variation in sleep outcomes between cultural regions. Follow-up post hoc analyses appear to support the notion that those regional cultures that place a higher value on social investments tend to report lower levels of sleep insufficiency. Furthermore, the insufficient sleep pattern noted in this report is consistent with those reported earlier for physical inactivity, obesity, and diabetes.

conclusionsFactors and circumstances occurring in the Midwest and the South-Central states appear to be responsible for the observed patterns. Future research should consider reviews of policies and related practices adopted across the American Nations to identify causal patterns.