Waking Up to the Importance of Sleep for Mental Health

Floor Speech

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Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, as our nation confronts political chaos, the civilizational emergency of climate change, and existential threats to our democracy, I have found myself unable to sleep. This is an experience that it turns out I share with millions of Americans. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have found that more than one third of all adults in the United States sleep fewer than the clinically recommended seven hours per night. As we mark Sleep Awareness Week, recognized this year by the National Sleep Foundation between March 10-16, we must elevate the importance of sleep health to our mental and physical health and confront the sleep disparities that closely correspond to racial and socioeconomic inequalities.

Sleep quality, it turns out, has been causally linked to mental health. Researchers from Keele University and the University of Sheffield found that greater improvements in sleep quality led to greater improvements in mental health. Though we have progressed by leaps and bounds in our society's discourse on mental health, we have yet to sufficiently emphasize the links between getting enough sleep and feeling mentally well.

The call to ``get more sleep'' is a tall order for many Americans, especially in light of the social disparities that already affect sleep health for so many. African Americans are 65 percent more likely and Hispanic Americans are 59 percent more likely to report poor sleep quality than white Americans, even though all groups report a similar ease in falling asleep. Americans who earn enough to make ends meet are much more likely to report a good night's sleep than people who are struggling to get by and living paycheck to paycheck. Closing these divides and achieving sleep equity must be one of our national public health priorities.

Our nationwide quest to get a good night's sleep is inextricable from our work for a more democratic society, where we want everyone to be fully functional and participatory. We need well-rested citizens who can participate and govern themselves, their families, and their communities. Our struggle to create the conditions for a peaceful night's sleep is as much a societal imperative as an individual question. During this National Sleep Awareness Week, we must commit to the fundamental importance of a good night's rest for all Americans.

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