Single Mothers Are At Greater Risk Of Sleep Health Problems, CDC Finds

Single parents, particularly the single mothers with children under 18 years old, are at greater risk of sleep problems, according to reports. It likewise affirms that single parents get less sleep and experience more sleep-related problems than those who live with their partners, better halves or relatives.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has released a report stating that 42.6 percent of single parents get less than 7 hours of sleep each night compared to 31 percent of adults living without children and 32.7 percent of adults from two-parent families. From this survey, there were 44 percent of single mothers who have less than 7 hours of sleep every night. It is followed by single fathers of whom 37.5 percent of them get less than 7 hours of sleep each night, as determined in the report of Medical Daily.

According to National Sleep Foundation, adults with ages 18 to 64 must have 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. On the other hand, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that almost a third of adults in America do not have 7 hours of sleep every night -- greatly affecting their immune system and optimum health.

"Getting sufficient sleep is a national health objective and a public health priority. Overall, results reveal that single parents get less sleep and experience more sleep-related problems than adults in other types of families," the researchers say.

Medical News Today shared that having poor sleep may augment the risk of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, depression, obesity, high blood pressure and certain types of cancer. It may also lead to Alzheimer's disease and has a risk factor for premature death. A person's sleep duration and quality may be induced by his marital status and whether he has children living in the same home.

According to Nugent and colleagues, the finding, which is another breakdown of single parenthood with the percentage of single parent families in the U.S., has risen to 32 percent in recent years. "Research has shown that single parents have fewer financial resources, and this report finds that sleep is another domain in which single parents families are disadvantaged," the team concluded.