Mattress Firm and Sleep.Com Release First Annual Joint “Sleep Uncovered” Report with Sleepscore Labs Revealing Sleep Quality Worsened During the Covid-19 Pandemic

The Company also Partnered with the Institute for the Future to Shed Light on Evolving American Sleep Habits and Forecast What’s Next

HOUSTON, TX (March 14, 2022) – Mattress Firm, the nation’s largest mattress specialty retailer, and Sleep.com, the go-to wellness resource from the Sleep Experts® at Mattress Firm, today announced findings from their first annual sleep study, titled Sleep Uncovered. The study, created in partnership with SleepScore Labs™, utilizes proprietary data from over 3.5 million nights of sleep, survey insights and primary research. The report also includes future forecasts from Institute for the Future (IFTF), to reveal deeper insights on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on America’s sleep quality.

SleepScore Labs analyzed objective and self-reported sleep data from 134,885 U.S. adults before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and found that on average, Americans reported a noticeable change in sleep quality rather than duration. Additionally, SleepScore Labs surveyed more than 2,700 U.S. adults asking questions about pre- and post-pandemic lifestyle and sleep habits. Eighty-six percent said their sleep quality decreased during the pandemic, and only 14 percent rated their sleep quality as satisfactory. Furthermore, U.S. adults reported experiencing more difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep, and felt less likely to feel rested in 2022 compared to 2020; though these changes were not evenly distributed. The report details sleep duration and quality was impacted by several factors including race, parenting status, socioeconomic factors, occupation and more. The good news is there is strong interest in implementing tools and strategies to address these challenges.

“We are determined to help people get the quality rest they deserve, and remain convinced that science, technology and credible health advice have the power to do just that,” said John Eck, President and CEO, Mattress Firm. “In the Sleep.com Sleep Uncovered 2022 report, we’re offering a forecast, grounded in millions of hours of objective sleep data, to help people understand their pandemic-era sleep and how they can shape a more restful future.”

As remote work and learning became the new normal, more consistent sleep schedules were established from spending more time at home. Additionally, the Sleep Uncovered study reveals that while technology can be one of the biggest disruptions of sleep, it may also present opportunities for sleep betterment. With more time spent at home, many Americans also saw the negative side of increased technology use.

Seventy-four percent of U.S. adults reported using technology devices in bed “most days” or “every day” during the pandemic. Binging on entertainment and “doomscrolling” became cultural norms, and nearly 1 in 3 respondents admitted that using technology before bed contributed to their poor rest “often” or “always” during the pandemic.

“In this first annual Sleep Uncovered report, we assess how COVID-19 has impacted America’s relationship with sleep and what that means for the future,” said Colin Lawlor, CEO, SleepScore Labs. “These pages do not merely report on two years of rough sleep in America. They reveal an in-depth view into the pandemic’s physical, mental, and emotional stressors, and that progress was made in building healthier sleep habits for some, but not all.”

According to the survey, 50 percent of Americans said they used mindfulness and/or stress-relief strategies at least some of the time, a 12 percent increase from before the pandemic; and SleepScore app users logged an average of 11 additional minutes per night of sleep during the pandemic. Sleep.com recently launched a new online tool, an interactive quiz called “What’s Your Sleep Future” which aims to identify future sleep scenarios and help users make everyday sleep health a priority.

To identify the primary shifts in sleep behavior and culture triggered by the pandemic, Sleep.com commissioned IFTF to explore its impact on sleep quality. Using data from more than 3.5 million nights of sleep, IFTF analyzed academic and clinical literature in conjunction with a comprehensive horizon scan. These findings revealed four scenarios that explored how, where, and how well we will sleep in the future.

“The last two years have seen an unprecedented degree of disruption in our daily lives, but one of the most invisible — and potent — consequences of COVID-19 has been its impact on sleep. The question remains: Will our sleep health recover in the years to come? We were honored to work with Mattress Firm and Sleep.com to identify the key factors shaping the future of sleep, and to develop a set of provocative forecasts on how sleep might evolve in years to come,” said Jeff Yang, Research Director, IFTF Digital Intelligence Lab.

The full report is available for free download on Sleep.com. To learn more about Mattress Firm and Sleep.com’s commitment to improving lives through better sleep, visit MattressFirm.com or Sleep.com. To download the free Sleep.com Sleep Cycle Tracker app, visit the App Store on iOS devices and Google Play Store on Android devices.