it’s important to focus on an area often overlooked when it comes to overall health: sleep. Sleep is one of the key components of a healthy lifestyle, but men often pass over it in favor of other activities. In fact, a new survey from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine finds that 75% of men say they have lost sleep after staying up “past their bedtime” to play video games, and 62% of men say they have lost sleep due to staying up to drink alcohol. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1 in 3 adults in the United States report getting less than seven hours of sleep per day. In 2021, the AASM issued a position statement noting that sleeping is essential to health and calling for greater emphasis on healthy sleeping in education, clinical practice, inpatient and long-term care, public health promotion, and the workplace.
“It’s important to wind down at the end of a long day, but ideally the chosen forms of relaxation should not come at the expense of sufficient, healthy slumber time,” said Dr. Imran Shaikh, a member of the AASM’s Public Awareness Advisory Committee.
To improve quality of sleep, men should limit screen time before bedtime, including video games.
“The blue light emitted by phones, tablets, computers and TV mimics daylight and affects your internal body clock, which stops you from feeling tired,” said Shaikh. “In addition, the stimulation provided by video games causes you to be more active and awake, making it harder to fall asleep.”
Men should also avoid drinking alcohol too close to bedtime.
“As a sedative, alcohol may help you feel sleepy at first, but it can ultimately cause fragmented sleep or other sleep issues,” said Shaikh.
“We know that chronic insufficient sleep can have a detrimental impact on personal health and increase the risk of many diseases,” said Jennifer L. Martin, a licensed clinical psychologist who is a professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. “A healthy nights rest is also important for mood regulation and mental health, helping to reduce the risk of problems such as anxiety and depression.”
The AASM recommends that most adults should get seven or more hours sleeping nightly to promote optimal health. To help select an appropriate bedtime for your schedule, use the AASM’s online Bedtime Calculator.
