37% of Americans are using PTO days just to catch up on sleep, and I have thoughts. The first? They shouldn't have to. The second? I've been catching up on sleep for two months straight.
According to a study done by AmeriSleep, "Millennials (43%) were the most likely to use PTO days to catch up on sleep, followed by Gen X (34%) and Gen Z (33%). Only 20% of baby boomers did the same."
Why are Millennials so tired?
Prepare for useless generalities.
Millennials were born in the 80s and 90s, so they're the late 20s to mid-40s age range. While we're all adults here, it's actually a wide life range; some people are still clubbing every night, while others are sending their kids to college. This age range is the time of major life changes---new jobs, weddings, divorces, births, children, deaths, a potential mid-life crisis at the upper end there---and all the stresses that come with it, so it's no wonder Millennials are exhausted. I'd be surprised if they weren't.
Don't forget a late start in life due to the Great Recession (December 2007 to June 2009), which hit right at graduation (or shortly after) for so many, wiping out savings and progress. The recovery was slow and uneven, spanning five years. It was harder to find jobs (unemployment hit 10%+), pay cuts went deeper, and starting salaries were lower. That culminated in half the cohort left behind. When all you can do is race to catch up? An exhausting hamster wheel that no one wants to be on.
Gen X'ers (mid-40s to 60s) have generally grown into a career, settled down, figured things out, and are probably shifting gears toward retirement (if they haven't retired already). They're at the point where it's a lot harder to change a life trajectory. Between ingrained habits, an age-discriminatory job market, and less time for assets to grow, any pivots are harder. Not impossible, just harder. They probably aren't going to be hustling in the same way as someone working to grow their career while having a newborn at home. And that's fine, because life comes in seasons.
Older Gen Z'ers (late 20s down to teenagers) started graduating from school, finding their footing, only to be hit by the Covid crisis, which threw joblessness into 20%+. It wasn't a cakewalk for anyone---my father and stepmother were at the hospital on life support in March 2020, and a lot of people experienced the same trauma I did. Fortunately, the economic recovery from Covid was swift (overall), though the housing market went absolutely bonkers. That said, the youngest of this generation don't qualify for PTO because they are still in high school, hopefully sleeping well in a safe, nurturing environment. And Baby Boomers (age 60 to 80) are retired or retiring. Of course they aren't using PTO to sleep. All of this is to say, this study should have been broken out by age range instead.
A more interesting statistic? "Six-figure earners are approximately 26% more likely to use PTO days to catch up on sleep compared to those earning under $100,000 annually." That absolutely held true for me. Over the last six years, most of my vacation time was spent around the house, especially for the holidays, without a real plan. But part of that was driven by my husband, who isn't keen on airplanes. While it wasn't specifically "time off to sleep," rest was a part of our conscious effort to negate the day-to-day crazy. The other piece was my prior roles, which did allow me to leave work at work.
Reduce Life Stresses
I didn't realize how much stress had piled up since last year, between coordinating all the contractors, putting so much of my own labor into the rebuild, living in a construction site, plus managing my day job, for over seven months straight. The situation was literally "boiling the frog," cranking up the heat slowly to the point that I didn't notice. Or, I noticed, but I couldn't make time or brain space to care. There are seasons of life, and sometimes things go off the rails, but make a point to reign it back in. Whether that's reducing or eliminating activities, throwing away the to-do list, or reevaluating goals, it's worth doing.
It's a privilege to have a stable home life, a stable family, and a solid rock to build the foundation on. All of these things reduce stress. So does an emergency fund and a well-managed anti-budget.
Sleep Well
Prioritize yourself. Prioritize time to sleep and let your body recover.
I aim to lay down by midnight with my book, and I often fall asleep reading. My body naturally wakes between 8 and 9am. I make this time a priority for myself.
In my fully-remote role, I only set an alarm a couple days each week, specifically on days with early meetings. An amazing perk of working from home: nap time. It was easy to take an hour at lunchtime to lay down if I needed it. I'd kick off the afternoon well-rested and ready to focus.
While I worked in an office, I had an alarm that went off daily at 8am, so I was sure to be at the office by 9am. However, I usually woke up a couple minutes before the alarm. The body will adjust if you let it. Living close to work, finding as short a commute as possible, making the routine easy, and sticking to it were key to getting good rest.
Environment
I didn't have a television in my house in Michigan, other than the period where a boy I dated moved in and brought his with. I didn't have one in Florida either until my Airbnb guests complained---so I went and bought a huge one for the living room, grabbing an antenna to go along with it. I've never had one in my bedroom, and I don't want one. Sleeping with a TV on can mess with sleep stages, disrupting the quality and length. Phone time before bed can do the same.
Make sure your sleeping environment is one where you can get real rest. A comfortable bed is a must.
Travel Well
"But my dreams are the only vacation I can afford!"
When I was busy exploring the world, cheap and well-scheduled flights dictated where I went. The flight would leave first thing Friday morning, and I'd be back late Sunday night to start work Monday. Or I'd fly first thing Saturday morning, and I'd be back Monday night, to start work on Tuesday. It would require one PTO day, but I'd have three full days at my destination. It never had to be expensive, and I loved the process of researching cheap or low-cost activities beforehand.
While I'd do my best to find a comfy bed, reviews don't always tell the whole story, and people can tolerate different levels of comfort and quiet. Fortunately, two or three nights won't break much, so it wasn't the end of the world if I didn't land somewhere perfect. Usually, I'd wear myself out exploring, so I'd be too exhausted to even care and I'd sleep just fine.
I'd return home from the weekends tired, for sure; but I was ultimately well-rested because I crafted my life around making my sleep and my health a priority. I'd also make a point to rest more around the trip. This allowed room for excitement, energy, and purpose; and I treasure the memories.