The sleep gap: How age, gender, and daily habits shape our nightly rest

If you’ve ever struggled with sleep, you understand that finding the key to the elusive night of uninterrupted sleep is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Is your partner waking up refreshed while you were up throughout the night, even though you both share the same nightly routine? Does that trending sleep hack that works wonders for your Gen Z coworker still leave you blurry-eyed in the morning?

Achieving quality rest can’t happen without personalization, as many factors in a person’s life can impact sleep, including your gender, age, lifestyle, and the hidden daily habits you may not even be aware of. Identifying which factors affect your individual sleep is the first step in addressing sleep issues.

Is your gender and age affecting your sleep more than you realize?

Results from our recent U.S. survey¹ found that while almost two in five people describe their sleep as restless, women are 48% more likely than men to report getting restless sleep. Men are also more likely than women to get a good night’s sleep 7 days a week.

This gender disparity may be explained by the intricate relationship between hormonal imbalance and sleep that many women experience. Hormonal imbalances can disrupt the delicate equilibrium that governs our sleep-wake cycle. For example, women who are experiencing symptoms of menopause may find it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep comfortably. According to our 2024 Global Sleep Survey from Resmed, 56% of women say menopause-related symptoms are getting in the way of achieving quality sleep.

Sleep disparity also exists among different generations. We found that Millennials, Gen X, and Baby Boomers are more likely to get restless sleep than Gen Z. But is there a point where the older you get, the better you sleep? Maybe. According to our findings, more than two in five Silent Generation consumers (those born between 1925 and 1948) get peaceful sleep, which is much higher than their younger counterparts.

It is important to consider other factors, like where you are in your career trajectory, which can also greatly impact your sleep. Students (26%) and retired consumers (26%) are most likely to get a good night’s sleep seven days a week, while unemployed consumers are the least likely (16%).

What people aren’t saying about their sleep habits.

So, your age, gender, and job status may be out there for all to see, but are your sleep habits an open book? When asked if they have any sleep-related habits that they don’t tell their family or friends about, consumers said they dream a lot / have nightmares (29%) and snore (25%). Forgetting where you put something or sending that text to the wrong person are just some of the more annoying and noticeable symptoms that can also occur with lack of sleep, as noted in the survey results.

It may be helpful to know that those occurrences are widely shared. 32% of consumers are likely to put something away in the wrong spot because they are tired, followed by 29% accidentally texting the wrong person. Realizing that some of your habits may be shared by others can help destigmatize and lead you to finding better sleep solutions.

What can you do to improve your sleep?

The methods by which people determine if they’ve had a good night’s rest are pretty evenly split: 42% of people rely on how they feel the next morning to track sleep quality, while nearly the same proportion (39%) do not track their sleep at all. Gen Z (24%) and Millennials (23%) are more likely to track their sleep using a smartwatch than older generations. As we’ve discussed in a recent blog post, there are many benefits to tracking sleep that can offer key insights into unlocking higher-quality rest.

While you may not have control over factors like your age and gender, you can take steps to improve your rest. Ultimately, everyone experiences tossing and turning from time to time, but frequent or consistent lack of sleep could mean something more is in play. Consulting a doctor may help uncover the reasons behind the issue and can help kickstart your journey to improved sleep hygiene and overall quality of life. Like physical and mental health, each person has their own sleep health goals, challenges, and symptoms that require a nuanced approach to achieving your optimal sleep.

Methodology (for TEAM LEWIS omnibus and Resmed global sleep survey) TEAM LEWIS surveyed 1,000 individuals in the US on behalf of Resmed. All respondents were 18 or older, and the sample was census-balanced by age and gender. TEAM LEWIS collected data through an online survey fielded from August 28 to September 4, 2024. The survey respondents were independently sourced from Paradigm Sample.

The 2024 Resmed Global Sleep Survey included a total of 36,000 respondents across 17 markets including Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, UK, and USA, between December 2023 and January 2024.

Andersen, ML et al. Frontiers in Sleep 2023

1. Methodology (for TEAM LEWIS omnibus and Resmed global sleep survey)

This blog post contains general information about medical conditions and potential treatments. It is not medical advice. If you have any medical questions, please consult your doctor.