Better sleep, better living

Income, employment status, relationship satisfaction and hobbies all affect sleep, according to research presented last week in Seattle at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies. And sleep affects health, relationships and decision-making.

Overall, one in five people reported problems with sleep on seven of the 14 nights before the survey. There was little difference among racial and ethnic groups, except for people of Asian ethnicity, who had far fewer problems.

But people in lower socioeconomic levels, especially women, reported more problems. So did divorced and separated people, especially divorced and separated men.