Carpenter Co. and SleepBetter.org Release Sleepy Parents Index

Mothers Get Less Adequate Sleep Than Dads

Richmond, Va., May 10, 2013 ¨Every second Sunday in May, children of all ages come together to celebrate the mothers and the women who have raised them. This year, when thinking of the ultimate gesture to present to the mother in your life, think about giving them the gift of sleep. According to new research from Carpenter Co. and SleepBetter.org, mothers and other female caretakers have 1.4 less days of adequate sleep, on average, than fathers and other male caretakers.

	Average number of days of inadequate sleep per month	Percentage who receive inadequate sleep more than half of the time
Mothers & Female Caretakers	10.5	25.9
Fathers & Male Caretakers	9.1	21.2

 
The data used to develop the index were drawn from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s annual Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance System (BRFSS), a telephone survey that collects information on the health behaviors of more than 350,000 adults in the U.S.

The SleepBetter.org Sleepy Parents Index also broke down the data between mothers and fathers on a state-by-state basis. For mothers, Missouri is home to the most sleepless caretakers, California moms are getting the most restful night’s sleep. The top 10 states for sleepless mothers can be found below and the full Sleepy Parents Index, including sleepiest and well-rested cities for fathers, with a sortable database by state is available here.

“While both Moms and Dads deserve a better night’s sleep that just a third of a month, this index proves again that moms bear he brunt of sleeplessness,” said Dan Schecter, senior vice president of consumer products at Carpenter Co. and creator of SleepBetter.org. “SleepBetter.org has the tools for the moms, dads and any caretaker who is ready to learn more about the value of sleep and how they can better arm themselves with the equipment that will get them there. “”

Top 10 Sleepiest and Top 10 Most-Rested States for Mothers

Rank	Top 10 Sleepiest States	Top 10 Most-Well Rested States
1	Missouri	California
2	West Virginia	Hawaii
3	Ohio	Iowa
4	Kentucky	North Dakota
5	Maryland	South Dakota
6	Nevada	Rhode Island
7	Oklahoma	New Mexico
8	Oregon	Texas
9	New Jersey	Minnesota
10	Montana	Florida

 
Index Methodology: The data used to develop the indices above were drawn from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s annual Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance System (BRFSS), a telephone survey that collects information on the health behaviors of more than 350,000 adults in the U.S. These data were derived from responses to the question, “During the past 30 days, for about how many days have you felt you did not get enough rest or sleep?” on the most recent survey in which that question was asked (2010). An indicator was created to help define mothers and fathers, as it relates to the BRFSS questionnaire respondent with children under the age of 18 in shared household. Two sleep indicators were created the average number of days per month adults reported receiving adequate sleep and the percentage of adults reporting adequate sleep less than half the time. The combined values of those indicators were used to create the SleepBetter.org Sleepy Parents Index.

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About SleepBetter.org
Created by Carpenter Co., SleepBetter.org is dedicated to helping people sleep better. Designed as an online resource, the website creates a forum for visitors to define, discuss and discover solutions to fit their particular sleep needs. SleepBetter.org’s quest is to continually gather pertinent sleep information, then share this knowledge with the general public. The site also shares tips on the best sleep-related products, both in stores and online. SleepBetter.org has created the SleepBetter seal as a way to easily identify products recommended for their superior quality or scientifically-based design. For more information, please visit www.SleepBetter.org.

About Carpenter Co.
Carpenter Co. is the largest manufacturer of comfort cushioning products in the world.  The Richmond, Va.-based company manufactures a wide variety of polyurethane foam and polyester fiber products, all designed to make the world more comfortable.  Born and built in the United States, Carpenter Co. has a 64-year history of designing the world’s most comfortable products and remains on the cutting edge of product development, creating innovative products that improve sleep and enhance active life styles.  The Carpenter Co. Consumer Products Division offers a dynamic line of trusted products, including Isotonic®, ErgoFresh^TM, Ambient^TM and IsoCool^TM by Isotonic® pillows, mattress pads and neck pillows as well as comfort technologies like Avena^TM and Avela^TM and new technologies like IsoFresh^TM. For more information, visit www.carpenter.com.

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