The Sleep Anxiety Index

Falling asleep isn’t always as simple as turning off the lights. For many Americans, bedtime brings a wave of stress, racing thoughts, and worry about the next day.

To better understand this growing issue, Amerisleep surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults about their experiences with sleep anxiety and how it affects their daily lives.

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The results reveal just how widespread sleep anxiety has become and the real toll it’s taking on work, routines, and overall well-being.

Is There a Dread Before Bed?

Evenings should be a time to unwind, but for many people, they bring a sense of unease instead. As bedtime approaches, worries tend to surface, making it harder to relax and fall asleep.

• More than 9 out of 10 Americans (92%) report experiencing sleep anxiety, stress, or dread around trying to fall asleep or fear of being tired the next day.
• Gen Z experiences sleep anxiety 2.6 nights per week on average (~135 per year).
• More than 1 in 5 Americans (28%) experience sleep anxiety most nights (4-5 nights per week) or every night.
• Sleep anxiety peaks around bedtime (10 p.m.–12 a.m.) for 41% of sufferers. Another 32% say it hits in the middle of the night (12 a.m.–3 a.m.).

Sunday (65%) and Monday (62%) are the most common nights for sleep anxiety. This pattern mirrors what Amerisleep found in a separate survey of full-time workers, where 45% named Sunday as their hardest night for falling asleep.

• The most common triggers are general anxiety or overthinking with no specific cause (57%), financial worries (49%), and work stress or deadlines (39%).
• Almost 1 in 5 Americans (17%) say it takes more than 2 hours to fall asleep on anxious nights.
• The most common thought keeping people awake is financial stress (51%), followed by work or job stress (38%) and tomorrow’s to-do list (37%).

Of course, the anxiety that peaks at bedtime doesn’t always look the same. For some, it means lying awake with racing thoughts and no way to shut them off.

For others, it means deliberately staying up — a pattern known as revenge bedtime procrastination, where people delay sleep to reclaim the personal time their day never gave them.

In a different Amerisleep survey on revenge bedtime procrastination, 56% of Americans said their daily routines don’t allow enough time for leisure, and 51% said staying up late helps them feel more in control of their time.

Whether sleep is lost to anxiety or sacrificed by choice, the root cause is often the same: a day that left no room to decompress.

By Industry: Average Nights per Week With Sleep Anxiety

Sleep anxiety varies by industry, with some workers reporting more disrupted nights than others:

• Education: 2.9
• Information technology: 2.7
• Government and public administration: 2.3
• Finance: 2.2
• Health care: 2.2
• Retail: 2.1

What Is The Cost of Sleepless Nights?

When sleep is disrupted night after night, the effects don’t stop in the bedroom. Fatigue can carry over into work, productivity, and daily responsibilities, creating a ripple effect throughout the week.

• Sleep-anxious Americans estimate losing an average of 14 workdays per year to sleep anxiety and sleep-related fatigue. Gen Z reports the highest toll at 18 days.
• Sleep-anxious Americans lose an average of nearly 7 hours of sleep per week, or roughly 364 hours per year.
• 45% of sleep-anxious respondents say poor sleep has affected their ability to function daily or a few times per week.
• 65% report difficulty concentrating or focusing as a result of sleep anxiety, and 62% experience increased irritability or mood changes.
• 46% report reduced motivation at work and 46% reduced productivity at work or school.
• More than two-thirds (68%) stay up later than they should due to anxiety about falling asleep, with Gen Z the most likely to do so (74%).
• 56% have canceled plans, called out of work, or avoided responsibilities due to poor sleep. Gen Z (62%) and millennials (60%) are most likely to report this.
• 44% say they would seek professional help for sleep anxiety if it were more accessible or affordable.

• The estimated annual productivity loss per worker is approximately $2,950.
• Finance workers lose the most in dollar terms ($3,987).
• Finance workers (62%), education workers (61%), and manufacturing workers (61%) are the industries most likely to report burnout from poor sleep.

FAQs

What is sleep anxiety?

Sleep anxiety is stress or dread tied to falling asleep or fear of feeling tired the next day. It can make it harder to wind down, delay sleep onset, and disrupt rest throughout the night.

How common is sleep anxiety?

Extremely common. More than 9 out of 10 Americans (92%) report experiencing some form of sleep anxiety, stress, or dread around bedtime or the next day’s demands.

What triggers sleep anxiety most often?

The most common triggers are general anxiety or overthinking with no specific cause (57%), financial worries (49%), and work stress or deadlines (39%).

When does sleep anxiety tend to peak?

For most people, it hits hardest between 10 p.m. and midnight. Another 32% say their anxiety surfaces in the middle of the night, between midnight and 3 a.m.

Which night of the week is worst for sleep anxiety?

Sunday, by a wide margin. Sixty-five percent of sleep-anxious Americans say Sunday is their hardest night, followed closely by Monday at 62%.

Who is most affected by sleep anxiety?

Gen Z experiences it most intensely, averaging 2.6 anxious nights per week and reporting 18 lost or impaired workdays per year — the highest of any generation.

How much sleep does anxiety cost people each week?

Sleep-anxious Americans lose an average of nearly 7 hours of sleep per week, which adds up to roughly 364 hours over the course of a year.

Does sleep anxiety affect work performance?

Yes. Respondents estimate losing an average of 14 workdays per year to sleep anxiety and fatigue, translating to an estimated annual productivity loss of approximately $2,950 per worker.

Has sleep anxiety gotten worse recently?

Nearly half of sleep-anxious Americans (49%) say their sleep anxiety has worsened over the last two years.

Is sleep anxiety connected to revenge bedtime procrastination?

They often go hand in hand. Sleep anxiety describes the dread or stress that surrounds falling asleep or facing tomorrow’s demands, while revenge bedtime procrastination is the deliberate choice to delay sleep in order to reclaim personal time.

Why do I feel more anxious the later I stay up?

Staying up late can create a feedback loop that amplifies anxiety. As the night wears on, your body’s natural sleep pressure builds, but mental fatigue also lowers your ability to regulate worry and racing thoughts. This can make concerns that felt manageable earlier in the evening feel much heavier by midnight.

Why Does Sleep Anxiety Deserve More Attention?

Sleep anxiety is affecting a large majority of Americans, shaping how they rest and how they function each day. From lost sleep hours to missed responsibilities and reduced productivity, the impact stretches far beyond nighttime.

As more people report worsening sleep anxiety and its effects on their routines, it raises an important question: how can we better support healthy, consistent rest in an increasingly demanding world? Addressing sleep anxiety may be key to improving both individual well-being and overall quality of life.

One approach that’s shown measurable results: 69% of Americans who do a regular Sunday reset say the routine reduces their anxiety, and nearly half avoid the Sunday Scaries altogether.

Methodology

Amerisleep commissioned an online survey of 1,000 U.S. adults conducted in March 2026. All findings are based on the 92% of respondents who reported experiencing sleep anxiety at least rarely. Respondents who indicated they never experience sleep anxiety were excluded from analysis.

Workday losses and hours of sleep lost per week reflect respondents’ own estimates and were adjusted using the interquartile range method to remove outliers.

The estimated annual productivity loss of approximately $2,950 per worker was calculated by dividing the IQR-adjusted average annual income by 260 working days to derive a daily rate, then multiplying by the IQR-adjusted lost or underperformed workdays.

Respondents were millennials (49%), Gen X (26%), Gen Z (16%), and baby boomers (10%).

About Amerisleep

Amerisleep is a leader in sleep innovation, offering eco-friendly, high-performance mattresses designed to help people rest better and wake up refreshed. With a focus on comfort, support, and recovery, Amerisleep creates products that make it easier to build healthy sleep habits.

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