Most people feel like they don’t get enough sleep, but a new study shows that shows that people who live in certain states get more sleep than others.

This is the first federal study that compares sleep deprivation across the nation.  The governmental study surveyed over 400,000 people nationwide about their sleep habits over the previous month.  The state with the most sleep deprived citizens is West Virginia.  Approximately 10% of Americans are in need of some extra sleep, while West Virginia is almost double that rate at 19.3%.

Other states that had higher than average numbers were Tennessee, Kentucky and Oklahoma while North Dakota has the lowest rate at 7.4%.

“We didn’t ask ‘Why didn’t you get enough rest or sleep?’” said Lela McKnight-Eily, an epidemiologist for the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) told the Associated Press.

The scientists working on the study have some possible theories that could be an explanation for West Virginia’s sleeplessness.  They are last or near last in many areas of health such as obesity, heart disease or smoking and many medical studies associate some of these issues with problems sleeping.

“You would expect to see poorer sleep within a chronically diseased population,” said Darrel Drobnich of the National Sleep Foundation.

Poor health and sleeplessness can end up being a vicious cycle.  Some experts also surmise that sleep deprivation can cause people to eat fattier foods. “There’s growing evidence that sleep deprivation promotes obesity,” Dr. Ronald Chervin, a sleep disorders expert at the University of Michigan told the Associated Press.

Recessionary issues could also come into play as stress about work or money can cause sleep issues. West Virginia is one of the states to take a big hit with the recession.

On the other end of the spectrum, 31% of people nationwide said that they had gotten enough sleep every night in the previous month, with the most rested state being Hawaii with 36% of their population feeling completely rested.

Our Take:
Well, unfortunately it looks like those sleepless nights and tired mornings don’t end at college graduation.  Sleep is important and we could all try to integrate healthier habits into our lives, beginning with a little more shut-eye.