Sleep Research: Sleep Quality, Temperature and Bedding

How much do US adults sleep, and how rested do they feel?

National interviews, daily diaries and device records answer different questions. Keep each population and measurement with its figure.

Download the four national NCHS estimates and intervals (CSV)

NCHS rows overlap. A BLS diary average that includes sleeplessness is not a physiological sleep-duration estimate. These rows must not be averaged.

• In 2024, 30.5% of US adults reported sleeping less than seven hours on average in a 24-hour period. (NCHS, April 2026)
• In 2025, US people age 15 and older averaged 9.03 hours per day in the BLS diary sleeping category, which includes naps and spells of sleeplessness. (BLS, June 2026)
• In Mattress Firm’s February 2026 online poll of US adults with internet access, respondents reported 6.6 hours of sleep per night, compared with 7.1 hours they considered ideal. (Mattress Firm, March 2026)
• Among US Eight Sleep Pod owners in its March 2025–March 2026 report, device-estimated sleep averaged 7 hours 17 minutes per night; this customer cohort is not a national population sample. (Eight Sleep, accessed October 2026)

What do sleepers report about heat and sharing a bed?

These findings describe separate manufacturer-sponsored samples. Temperature preferences and device settings are not universal bedroom recommendations.

Amerisleep used an unweighted adult sample. Sleeping Dove screened for frequent bed-sharing and age 25+. Their weekly-overheating percentages are not estimates of the same population. Bed temperature is not air temperature.

• In Amerisleep’s August 2026 unweighted US adult sample, 52% said they woke up too hot at least once a week. (Amerisleep, September 2026)
• In Sleeping Dove’s August 2026 sample of US adults age 25 and older who shared a bed with a partner at least four nights a week, 70.2% preferred a different sleeping temperature from their partner. (Sleeping Dove, August 2026)
• In Bear Mattress’s February 2026 US adult survey, the mean preferred sleeping temperature was 67°F, a stated preference rather than an experimentally established optimum. (Bear Mattress, July 2026)

How does sleep relate to well-being and daily life?

Poll responses describe people’s experiences and associations. They do not establish that a bedding purchase will change health or productivity.

“Flourishing” is the NSF poll’s well-being measure. The AASM work-worry response includes rarely; it is not a nightly frequency or a diagnosis.

• In the National Sleep Foundation’s 2025 adult poll, 88% of respondents with good sleep satisfaction met its flourishing measure, compared with 47% of those with poor satisfaction; the association does not establish cause. (National Sleep Foundation, March 2025)
• In AASM’s June 2025 US adult poll, mood was the most commonly reported area affected by sleepiness, selected by 60% of respondents. (AASM, 2025)
• In AASM’s June 2025 US adult poll, 65% reported losing sleep over work worries at least rarely, including rarely, sometimes, often or always. (AASM, 2025)
• In the US sample of Resmed’s 2026 sleep survey, 76% ranked sleep as important and 62% reported taking action to improve it; these are separate self-reported measures. (Resmed, accessed October 2026)

What have experiments actually measured about bedding?

Small studies help test specific questions. Keep sleepwear, duvet materials, bedroom air and mattress replacement separate.

Sleepwear experiments are not sheet tests. Wool-industry support and author relationships were disclosed in the textile studies. The before/after mattress study did not measure mattress failure over time.

• In Baniassadi and colleagues’ observational study of community-dwelling older adults, increasing bedroom air temperature from 25°C to 30°C was associated with a 5–10% decrease in sleep efficiency, not a measured percentage loss of sleep hours. (Marcus Institute for Aging Research, July 2023)
• In Shin and colleagues’ experiment with 17 healthy young adults at two room temperatures, mean sleep-onset time was 11.0 minutes in wool sleepwear versus 15.0 minutes in cotton, pooled across the tested conditions; the experiment did not establish a significant main effect of duvet material. (University of Sydney, April 2016)
• In the age-65+ subgroup of Chow and colleagues’ warm-room sleepwear experiment, mean sleep-onset time was 12.4 minutes in wool, 26.7 minutes in cotton and 21.6 minutes in polyester; this subgroup result is not evidence about sheets. (University of Sydney, August 2019)

What do people put on their beds?

Pillow counts, top sheets and fill choices describe different parts of a bed. These surveys report habits and preferences, not the best setup for every sleeper.

Historical polls retain their publication dates. Each source below gives the original question and its own population; results are not pooled.

• In Dreams’ January 2026 poll of UK adults, respondents’ current pillows averaged 3.6 years old, a reported age rather than a recommended replacement interval. (Dreams, March 2026)
• In Sleep Junkie’s online survey of residents in 25 large US cities, 32% reported using only a fitted sheet rather than a top sheet. (Sleep Junkie, January 2020)
• In YouGov’s February 2022 study of GB adults, 50% said they slept with two pillows. (YouGov, June 2022)
• In Eachnight’s August 2026 survey of US side sleepers, 57% said they tucked an arm under their pillow or head. (Eachnight, October 2026)
• In the National Sleep Foundation’s 2012 poll of US adults ages 25–55, 91% rated comfortable pillows as important to getting a good night’s sleep. (National Sleep Foundation, 2012)

How do people care for and replace bedding?

Keep reported routines, discarded products and sustainability attitudes separate from care-label instructions and verified service life.

Historical polls retain their publication dates. Each source below gives the original question and its own population; results are not pooled.

• In the US subset of Cotton Incorporated’s February 2023 home-textile survey, 26% said their most recent sheets or bedding purchase replaced old items. (Cotton Incorporated, accessed October 2026)
• In YouGov’s 2022 poll of Britons, 28% said they changed their bed sheets once a week, with more-frequent changers reported separately. (YouGov, November 2022)
• In YouGov’s 2019 ironing poll, 20% of Britons said they ironed their bed sheets. (YouGov, April 2019)
• In the National Sleep Foundation’s 2011 poll of US adults ages 25–55, 81% reported washing new bed sheets before first use. (National Sleep Foundation, 2011)
• In The Fine Bedding Company’s poll of more than 1,000 people, 78% said they had thrown away a pillow because it did not suit them. (The Fine Bedding Company, December 2025)
• In the Better Sleep Council’s July 2023 US survey of adult mattress purchase decision-makers, 55% considered recycling a mattress at the end of its useful life very important or absolutely essential. (Better Sleep Council, August 2023)

How do partners and bedrooms shape the night?

These findings describe bed sharing and bedroom routines. Their populations, dates and questions differ; none establishes a universal sleeping arrangement.

Historical polls retain their publication dates. Each source below gives the original question and its own population; results are not pooled.

• In Bensons for Beds’ 2026 UK adult survey, 70% described themselves or their partner as a “duvet thief.” (Bensons for Beds, September 2026)
• In the US arm of the National Sleep Foundation’s 2013 International Bedroom Poll, 66% said they made the bed every or almost every day. (National Sleep Foundation, 2013)
• Among the 400 separate sleepers selected for Naturepedic’s couples survey, 60% said they felt less stressed while sleeping apart. (Naturepedic, accessed October 2026)
• In SleepFoundation.org’s November 2022 US adult survey, 53.2% reported sleeping with their bedroom windows closed. (Sleep Foundation, January 2023)
• Among respondents who had started sleeping separately in SleepFoundation.org’s January 2023 survey, 25.7% said they had returned to sharing a bed. (Sleep Foundation, March 2023)

What do people change when they want better rest?

An intention, purchase or stated preference does not demonstrate a sleep benefit. The table keeps the scope beside each result.

Historical polls retain their publication dates. Each source below gives the original question and its own population; results are not pooled.

• Across the 57 markets in the IKEA Sleep Report 2025, 72% of respondents reported phone use in the bedroom. (IKEA, 2025)
• In the 2024 US survey published by IKEA and the National Sleep Foundation in 2025, 67% of adults said they did not have a consistent, relaxing bedtime routine. (IKEA and National Sleep Foundation, 2025)
• In Gallup’s December 2023 US adult poll, 57% said they would feel better if they got more sleep. (Gallup, April 2024)
• Across the 17 markets in YouGov’s 2024 sleep-trends study, 33% said they had upgraded their mattress, pillow or bedding to improve sleep. (YouGov, March 2024)
• In Eachnight’s September 2026 survey of US primary-mattress owners or buyers, 20% said they had bought a sleep product after a social-media or influencer recommendation. (Eachnight, October 2026)
• In AASM’s June 2025 US adult poll, 51% reported spending no more than $100 on sleep products during the previous year, excluding a mattress. (AASM, accessed October 2026)
• In Attest’s 2021 survey of recent US homeware purchasers, 37% recognized Boll & Branch when prompted with its name, the highest share among the D2C bedding and bath-linen brands tested. (Attest, February 2021)