Objective Measures of Sleep Quality Have Not Declined Over the Last 50 Years

In the popular media, as well as the sleep research literature, it is widely stated that average r sleep duration has declined by as much as two hours over the last 50 years. It is argued that modern society has caused us to reduce our sleep, and that this is likely a key contributor to recent epidemics of obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Furthermore, although certain somnolent behaviors, such as sleeping late on weekends or falling asleep in the daytime, have been observed for many decades, the current zeitgeist is to assume that these behaviors are indicative of a new norm of chronically insufficient sleep.
Source: Sleep Medicine Reviews - Category: Sleep Medicine Authors: Tags: Letter to the editor Source Type: research