Most Americans fall short on expert-recommended sleep duration, with almost 50% of adults experiencing insufficient rest. A new 2026 report by the National Sleep Foundation, supported by Tempur-Pedic®, combined a nationally representative study and 190 million nights of Sleeptracker-AI® data to highlight many of the challenges and potential solutions to improve sleep health. The report, Two Views of the Night: Consumer Reported Sleep Insights Paired with Smart Bed Data, is a first-of-its-kind pairing that brings both perspectives together to provide a more complete look at how people are sleeping — and what might be keeping them up.

Key Findings from the Report: 

• Sleep Duration: Most adults sleep about 6.5 to 7 hours per night
• Difficulty Staying Asleep: 70% of adults report difficulty staying asleep
• Trouble Falling Asleep: More than 1 in 5 struggle to fall asleep regularly
• Racing Mind at Bedtime: 61% say they cannot calm their minds
• Nighttime Aches and Pains: 47% experience physical discomfort that disrupts rest

“These findings show that Americans can still do better on recommended sleep quantity — seven hours is the floor, and some adults need closer to nine — and fall short on important measures of sleep quality,” said Jill Johnson, Vice President of Tempur-Pedic® brand. “Better sleep starts with addressing what actually disrupts it. By analyzing nearly 200 million nights of sleep alongside data from the National Sleep Foundation, there’s a better understanding of what people may need for more quality sleep. This directly informs how Tempur-Pedic® designs products to help improve sleep quality and quantity.”

Details from the Study

According to the study, there are four primary causes of poor sleep quality in the United States:

• Racing thoughts and stress: Excessive cognitive activity delays falling asleep and is the leading self-reported cause
• Physical discomfort: Body pain and pressure points lead to tossing, turning, and nightly wakeups in nearly half of U.S. adults
• Environmental disruptions: Temperature, noise, and light are cited as consistent barriers to uninterrupted sleep
• Snoring: Widespread with more than 4 in 10 (45%) adults snoring at least occasionally.

Meanwhile, insights from Tempur-Pedic® Sleeptracker-AI® reveal consistent patterns in how Americans sleep at home:

• Sleep duration peaks on weekends and drops during the week
• Sunday nights show the longest average sleep time
• Midweek nights are consistently shorter and more strained

These patterns suggest that daily routines, stress, and lifestyle demands have a significant impact on sleep health. And according to the report, a majority of Americans say they are concerned about the impact of poor rest:

• 71% cite physical health concerns
• 63% worried about poor sleep cite mental health concerns
• 64% say insufficient sleep affects their ability to function during the day

How Tempur-Pedic® May Help

Tempur-Pedic® mattresses, smart bases and pillows are specifically engineered to address the four primary sleep disruptors reported by NSF:

• TEMPUR-Material® is designed to adapt and conform, helping relieve pressure and reduce tossing and turning
• Motion isolation may work to minimize disturbances from partners
• Smart bases with Sleeptracker-AI® can detect patterns and automatically adjust to help reduce disruptions such as snoring
• From Zero Gravity to advanced SoundScape® mode, TEMPUR-Ergo® power bases offer a range of relaxation benefits designed to calm your mind and relax your body

“People are enabled, now, by more detailed information about their sleep from smart technologies. Our work at NSF includes helping more people understand that their personal sleep experiences, along with consumer product innovations, can help better explain what’s happening at night,” says John Lopos CEO of National Sleep Foundation.  “This report helps NSF deliver that message by including powerful objective data from Tempur-Pedic® with what the American public tells us about their sleep, so we can better pinpoint opportunities to help make improvements.”

We’re excited to see how these new insights shape our industry and further our mission to improve the sleep of more people every night, all around the world!