Gen Z most likely to skip nighttime routine before bed: poll

The top things to think about to get a good night’s sleep are your favorite moments of the past day (45%), your partner or family (44%) and work (36%), new research found.

A survey of 2,000 U.S. adults split evenly by generation revealed that while a common belief among Americans may be that thinking about work before bed prevents a good night’s rest, thinking about your career before bed actually could help you sleep more soundly. 

The research also delved into the latest insights tied to Americans’ sleep habits and bedtime routines and discovered several generational differences. 

Conducted by OnePoll for Serta Simmons Bedding, the data found that millennials (56%) are the most likely to think about their favorite moments of the past day before they doze off, while Gen X (39%) is least likely to think about their day and most likely of all the generations to think about their career (38%).

That’s not the only generational difference when it comes to sleep habits.

The survey also found that Gen Z is most likely to prioritize sleep more broadly (61%) and revealed that they are the generation most likely to not finish their nighttime routine before dozing off for the day, as they are the most likely to fall asleep with their phone (68%), forget to brush their teeth (53%), or fall asleep with their day clothes on (47%). 

Meanwhile, Gen X appears to be the best at unplugging before bed as they are the generation that is the least likely to fall asleep with their phone (25%). 

Additionally, recent research explored how much time the average person spends getting ready for bed and found that, on average, an individual spends 162 hours on their nighttime routines over the year (over 26 minutes per day). What goes into that routine can differ by generation. More than one-third of millennials take showers or baths before bed (36%) compared to 19% of Gen Z respondents.

More than a quarter of boomers (28%) need to watch a series/movie before they shut their eyes for the night, compared to just 19% of Gen Z. 

Generation Z’s nighttime routine predominantly consists of turning on a fan (22%), putting on a sleep mask (21%), writing in a journal (20%), reading (20%), listening to music (20%) and creating a to-do list for the next day (20%). 

And they don’t want to sacrifice it — 18–26-year-olds are most likely to instead shorten their morning routines (43%) whereas Gen X (40%) and boomers (39%) are most likely to condense their bedtime routine to get more shut-eye. 

The survey also looked at when people go to sleep, with 38% of people describing themselves as early birds and 22% referring to themselves as night owls (33% responded they are both equally early birds and night owls). 

In addition to age differences, geography reflects differences in sleep routines, with the highest concentration of self-reported early birds living in the Northeast (41%) and the highest proportion of night owls (33%) living in the Southeast.

“While generations may differ in their sleep and getting-ready-for-bed habits, creating and sticking to a consistent sleep routine can help people of any age improve their sleep quality,” said Suann Griffin, Consumer Insights, Serta Simmons Bedding. “This includes pre-sleep rituals — from meditation to taking a warm bath or journaling — as well as maintaining the same sleep and wake times, regardless of the season.”  

How do people define a good night’s sleep? For most, the telltale signs are sleeping uninterrupted (41%) and waking up before an alarm (33%). 

If this is the case, at least a portion of the population may be sleeping well, with nearly one-third of Americans responding that they don’t usually wake up with an alarm clock (29%). 

Most common bedtime blunders

• Fell asleep while scrolling on my phone or with my phone in my hands – 51%
• Forgot to brush my teeth, without washing my face/doing my skincare routine – 41%
• Fell asleep without saying goodnight to my partner/family – 39%
• Forgot to turn off my TV – 38%
• Fell asleep with my day clothes on – 37%
• Forgot to set an alarm for the morning – 36%
• Forgot to turn off the lights before going to bed – 35%
• Fell asleep with glasses/contacts on – 31%