Jul 8, 2019
Brad Williamson says, Nearly 1 in 3 lose sleep over everyday
expenses
New York. Nearly 8 in 10 (78%) of U.S. adults lose sleep over daily
stresses like work, relationships, and more, according to a new
Bankrate.com report. More than half (56%) of Americans, ages 18 and
older, toss and turn over at least one money issue. The biggest
money stressor: everyday expenses, which nearly 1 in 3 (32%) say
they occasionally lose sleep over.
Other than everyday expenses, the most popular financial
insomnia contributors include saving enough money for retirement
(24%), health care or insurance bills (22%), the ability to pay
credit card debt (18%), mortgage or rent payments (18%),
educational expenses (11%) and stock market volatility (5%). Those
who are losing sleep over money include:
Two-thirds of parents with children under age 18 compared to 54%
who don’t have young children.
Sixty-four percent of Gen Xers (ages 39-54) versus 58% of
Millennials (ages 23-38) and 54% of Baby Boomers (ages 55-73).
Fifty-nine percent of women compared to 54% of men.
More than 6 in 10 (61%) Northeasterners versus 52% of
Midwesterners.
Nearly two-thirds (63%) of the lowest earners (under $30,000 per
year) compared to 53% of those who make $80,000 or more.
Aside from financial woes, Americans say health is the next largest
contributor to a lack of shut-eye (37%, up from 28% last year).
Many U.S. adults also experience restless nights over relationships
– including those with family members (29%), romantic partners
(21%) and friends (17%) – as well as work (28%), politics (21%),
climate change (14%) and raising children (13%).
Digging deeper, 38% of those who lose sleep over at least one
stressor say a money issue is the main culprit, more than
relationships (20%), health (15%) and work (11%). The average U.S.
adult is losing sleep over three different problems.
Among generations, Millennials are more likely to lose sleep
over work (39%) and relationships with friends (22%), while Gen X
tops all other age groups in losing sleep over the ability to pay
housing costs (24%), and Baby Boomers are more worried about health
(41%) and politics (25%) than those who are younger.
Millennials and Gen Xers have a much greater tendency to feel
uneasy over education costs for themselves or a family member (16%
and 11%, respectively, versus just 3% of Baby Boomers).
Almost two-thirds (63%) of people struggling to get a good night’s
rest are optimistic they’ll be able to resolve their biggest issue
and more than three-quarters (77%) are actively doing something to
address it. However, more than half (51%) of U.S. adults who lose
sleep primarily due to credit card debt say they are pessimistic
about improving their situation. The other net pessimistic topics
are politics (62% pessimistic) and climate change (66%
pessimistic).
“When you’re wrestling with a big issue, it’s important to break it
into manageable chunks. Devising a plan and starting to execute
against it – piece by piece – is the best way to get things done,”
said Bankrate.com analyst Ted Rossman. “Simply getting started
should help you begin to feel better and settle your racing mind.
That holds true whether you’re worried about health, money,
relationships, work or anything else.”