Work stress or no work keeps many awake

Work stress or the stress of being unemployed is keeping many U.S. adults up at night or from getting back to sleep after waking up, a survey indicates. A survey of 26,451 subscribers to Consumer Reports' indicated 69 percent of the unemployed respondents said they had trouble falling versus 59 percent with jobs. Employment status aside, 57 percent of all respondents said they had trouble staying asleep -- 1-in-3 said they woke up three or more times during a typical night. When problem sleepers were asked what was keeping them up at night, "work-related stress" was the most common response at 47 percent, followed by 28 percent who said health problems and 22 percent who cited financial woes. "For most people, getting to sleep isn't as much of an issue as staying asleep is," Jamie Hirsh, a senior associate editor for Consumer Reports, said in a statement. Forty percent of problem sleepers said they had, at some point, tried over-the-counter sleep aids and 30 percent took prescription medications. Almost half of the readers who said they tried prescription sleep drugs such as zolpidem or over-the-counter medications like Tylenol PM reported side effects such as next-day drowsiness. Consumer Reports recommended trying behavioral steps, such as waking up at the same time every day, taking time to unwind before bedtime and getting exercise during the day, particularly in the morning, for those looking to improve their sleep cycles.