A new study found that people in Republican-leaning states sleep much better at night than Democratic ones.
Spruce, a CBD company, examined 30 sleep-related search terms across all 50 states, calculated the search volumes per 100,000 residents, and ranked them based on the volume of negative sleep-issue-related searches. Of these, 48% of states were categorized as having “bad” sleep, and 52% as “good” sleep. The results largely found “good” sleep in Republican states and “bad” sleep in Democratic ones.
The political leanings of each state were determined by a combination of how they voted in 2020, the affiliation of their senators, and the majority of statewide representatives. Several states were categorized as “mixed.”
Overall, 76% of states that slept well at night were Republican, and over 72% of states that slept poorly at night were Democratic.
Of the top five best sleeping states, only one was Democratic – Vermont, which came in fifth. The rest were Republican, led by Montana and followed by South Dakota, Wyoming, and Idaho.
Of the top ten worst sleepers, only two were Republican – Texas, fifth place, and Florida, seventh place. The worst sleepers are in Oregon, followed by Nevada, Georgia, and California.
Despite the results, however, Tony Spencer, CEO of Spruce, cautioned against coming too quickly to a judgment on the causes of sleep problems. He pointed out that “good” sleep is biased in favor of quieter rural areas, which heavily lean Republican.
“This research sheds light on the severity of sleep problems residents across the United States face,” Spencer said. “Sleep quality forms a diverse patchwork, influenced by lifestyle and the environment. From bustling cities to unironically, sleepy rural areas, the level of people Googling sleep-related problems and solutions provides insights into the well-being of individuals and communities. This could reflect various regional, socioeconomic, conscience or lifestyle differences that influence sleep quality across these political landscapes.”
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Spruce also acknowledged some potential shortcomings of the study, writing that “search behavior can be influenced by factors such as internet access, health awareness, and cultural attitudes towards sleep, which may vary across states.”
Rankings were based on a combination of the prevalence of search terms, including questions, problems, solutions, and remedies. These included searches for “sleeping pills,” “insomnia,” “why can’t I sleep,” “can’t sleep,” “nightmares,” “sleep deprivation,” and “sleep medications.”