Perhaps the most widely-discussed psychological phenomenon of the coronavirus crisis is the stress and lack of sleep that have led to, among other consequences, a surfeit of suicides. Millions of Americans have also self-reported experiencing vivid “stress dreams”. Among them is host of CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Joe Kernan.
As brands and marketing strategists parse what this means for consumer attitudes, one recent survey answered by 1,000 American adults during the month of May, more than a month into the lockdown, found that products claiming to help with sleep might soon experience a mini-boom, as millions of Americans struggle to develop the discipline often required to successfully work from home.
The study mentioned above asked respondents what they would give up for a year of good sleep; some of the answers might surprise you.
For example…the survey by SleepStandards found:
- 37% of Americans would give up sex or porn
- 41% of Americans would give up social media
- 40% of Americans would give up alcohol and smoking
- 39% would give up video games
- 26% would give up steaming services such as Netflix or Hulu
- 21.5% would become a vegetarian for a year
Some key findings from the survey: the premium Americans would be willing to pay for a perfect night’s sleep has risen.
Ironically, 41% say they would give up social media, and 26% say they would give up Netflix; many sleep specialists recommend that giving up both activities – at least in the hours before bedtime – actually would help with their sleep.
The average American only sleeps 6.6 hours a night…
…and as productivity continues to stagnate, we suspect products aiming to boost sleep “efficiency” – that is, helping people feel well-rested, despite getting fewer than 7 full hours of sleep – or products that simply promote good sleep hygiene, will soon be all the rage.
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