What Are You Willing To Do For a Year of Perfect Sleep?

NEWS COPY w/ VIDEO & INFOGRAPHIC

What price would you pay for a year of perfect sleep? Well, one in four would break out the clippers and shave their heads, according to new research.

A quarter of people would exclusively eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at lunch while 22 percent said they’d only shower once a week if it meant they could have 365 nights of blissful rest.

That’s not all people would do for an ideal snooze — 17 percent would stub their toe every morning when they woke up and 14 percent would go to jail for a week.

A study asked 2,000 Americans what makes for a good night’s sleep — and how far they’d be willing to go to get it.

The results found that the average person would pay $307.11 for a single perfect night’s sleep. That can’t come as a surprise since Americans say, “I’m tired” a whopping average 303 times a year.

With the rise of mindfulness and sleep smartphone apps, more people are willing to pay monthly subscription fees to get peace of mind before bed. Some app fees total to over $155 per year for content that enables restful sleep, while others are up to $400 for lifetime access to calming, restful content. However, there are cheaper alternatives, such as the free Zzz app that offers soothing audio content for no cost.

Some would even be willing to cut out alcohol (34 percent), reality TV (33 percent), and sports (26 percent) all in the name of catching shut-eye. About one in four would even give up social media or coffee.

The survey conducted by OnePoll on behalf of ZzzQuil also revealed one in five would give up having sex while others would forgo chocolate (24 percent) — and 18 percent would live without a cellphone all in the name of a year’s worth of sleep.

Americans are clearly sleep-deprived since the average person only gets 6.41 hours of sleep a night and wakes up tired 120 times a year — that’s 9600 in a lifetime.

Falling asleep can be a struggle to begin with, seeing as two in five can’t stop tossing and turning. Over one in four wake themselves up from snoring while others cannot stay asleep (37 percent) or battle Restless Leg Syndrome (24 percent).

A lack of sleep can throw a wrench in a person’s entire day and leave them feeling less than ready. 26 percent admitted they don’t feel in “peak form” if they don’t get enough rest.

One in ten revealed not getting enough downtime leaves them feeling “barely there” and more likely to make mistakes due to lack of focus.

With all this worry surrounding sleep, it’s no wonder then that people are trying to shop their way to a restful evening.

One in five have spent money trying meditation, eye masks, or essential oils meanwhile some tried aromatherapy lotions (15 percent), weighted blankets (15 percent), white noise machines (16 percent), salt lamps (12 percent), and podcasts (14 percent).

A spokesperson for ZzzQuil said:

“In today’s hectic, 24/7 world, getting enough sleep can be a challenge.  Work, family and social activities can quickly fill up the day and make it hard to get a good night of sleep.  In fact, scientific studies have shown that up to 3 in 10 Americans get less than 6 hours a sleep per night. That can be a real problem since sleeping less than 7 hours a night can contribute to health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke, and can also lead to poor performance at work and unsafe driving, according to the National Sleep Foundation.  A great night of sleep is definitely a core pillar to overall health”.

Some even shelled out the big bucks and purchased an entirely new mattress (28 percent) in the hope of sleeping soundly through the night.

A comfy bed isn’t all that’s needed to create the ideal dreamy sleepscape. Half of Americans require a cool air temperature to get rest. Complete silence (39 percent) or darkness (38 percent), and extra blankets (26 percent) all made into the top five list of things people need to sleep well.

A spokesperson for ZzzQuil added:

“Americans are bombarded with lots of options for tackling their sleep struggles, from fancy sound machines and space-age mattresses to wearable devices and expensive training programs. The cost of all of these options can really add up. Before spending a lot of money, Americans should consider something as simple as a quality supplement to help get them back on track, like ZzzQuil™ Pure Zzzs™, instead of spending $1000 on a new mattress.”.”

WHAT PEOPLE WOULD DO FOR A YEAR OF PERFECT SLEEP

1. Shave your head 26%
2. Eat only peanut butter and jelly for lunch for a year 25%
3. Pay $2,000 24%
4. Shower only once a week 22%
5. Walk/run 5k every other day 18%
6. Stub your toe every morning when you wake up 17%
7. Go to jail for a week 14%

WHAT PEOPLE WOULD GIVE UP FOR A YEAR OF PERFECT SLEEP

1. Alcohol 34%
2. Reality TV 33%
3. Sports 26%
4. Social media 26%
5. Coffee 25%
6. Eating out 24%
7. Chocolate 24%
8. Vacation 22%
9. Makeup 21%
10. New clothes 21%
11. Sex 21%
12. Hair removal 18%
13. Cellphone 18%

COMMON SLEEP STRUGGLES

1. Tossing/turning 42%
2. Cannot fall asleep 40%
3. Cannot stay asleep 37%
4. Snoring 27%
5. Restless leg syndrome 24%
6. Teeth grinding 19%
7. Night terrors 17%
8. Sleep apnea 16%
9. Sleep walking 14%
10. REM sleep behavior disorder 11%

WHAT KEEPS PEOPLE UP

1. Too hot weather 40%
2. Cannot get comfortable 36%
3. Financial worries 33%
4. Night sweats 31%
5. Frequent bathroom trips 29%
6. Job worries 28%
7. TV 27%
8. My partner (snores, rolls over)26%
9. Too cold weather 25%
10. My kids (nightmares, etc) 21%

PEOPLE HAVE PURCHASED TO GET A BETTER SLEEP

1. Sleep supplements (melatonin, Valerian root, etc.) 31%
2. New mattress 28%
3. Blackout curtains 26%
4. Prescription sleep medication (Ambien, Lunesta, etc.) 25%
5. Over the counter sleep aids (ZzzQuil, Unisom, etc.) 23%
6. Meditation 22%
7. Eye mask 21%
8. Essential oils and/or oil diffusers 20%
9. Sleep/mindfulness apps 19%
10. White noise machine 16%
11. Aromatherapy lotions 15%
12. Weighted blankets 15%
13. Podcasts 14%
14. Face creams/masks 13%
15. Salt lamp 12%

WHAT PEOPLE NEED TO SLEEP

1. Cool air 50%
2. Complete silences 39%
3. Complete darkness 38%
4. Background noise 27%
5. Extra blankets 26%