In honor of National Relaxation Day 2017 (which is Tuesday, August 15) Princess Cruises teamed up with the Sleep Doctor, Michael Breus, Ph.D., to complete the 8th Annual Princess Cruises' Relaxation Report. The survey, conducted by Wakefield Research, studied 1,000 individuals within the U.S., ages 18 and older. This year, the report's results revealed a number of surprising stats regarding the health and wellness of Americans. Here's what the report found:
- Approximately half (49 percent) of Americans are getting less sleep than they need.
- Working Americans take an average of four days off per year just to catch up on sleep.
- 51 percent of mothers get less sleep than they need.
- 63 percent of Americans frequently struggle to get a good night's sleep while on vacation.
- Among Americans who didn't use all of their paid time off, the top reason is they had too much work to get done.
- Within those numbers, about one in three (31 percent) of working Americans didn't use all of the time available to them this past year.
“The number one advice I give people is that sleep is a sensory experience and all five of your senses must be prepared for slumber in order for you to fall asleep easily and stay asleep all night long,” said Breus. “I’m thrilled to have partnered with Princess Cruises and believe we have come up with a bed that will allow guests to achieve the ultimate in rest and relaxation.”
According to Breus, there are a number of additional contributing factors that can lead to a poor night's sleep, including:
- Consuming caffeine too late in the day: caffeine can linger in the system for up to eight hours, and yet 44 percent of American's admit to drinking it at 2 pm or later.
- Even though alcohol can prevent people from getting a quality sleep, more than half (53 percent) of Americans of legal drinking age have admitted to having a drink within three hours of going to sleep in the last two weeks.
- Stress over current events: 67 percent of American's claim that today's political climate has made it harder for them to relax. Breus suggests taking a break from the 24/7 political news cycle to increase relaxation and hopefully get a better night's sleep.
- One in four Americans (25 percent) don't go to bed or wake up at the same time everyday. Breus suggests setting an alarm to wake up at the same time each day can be really beneficial in getting into a sleep routine.
Breus and Princess Cruises all paired up to produce Princess's new sleep initiative, which includes the new Princess Luxury Bed. As part of Princess's Come Back New Promise, Breus and Princess optimized staterooms on board the Princess fleet for a sleep-friendly sensory experience. The cruise line is offering a SLEEP by Princess Kit, which includes additional sleep-inducing items such as eye shades, earplugs, aromatherapy scents, Breus' Good Night smartphone app and more.
The Princess Luxury Bed will roll out to more than 44,000 staterooms across the Princess fleet through 2019. The bed features a plush, two-inch thick pillow tip that can be removed for sleepers with straighter spines who might prefer a harder sleep surface. It also comes with a nine-inch, single-sided medium firm mattress with individually wrapped coils for less disturbance,a European-inspired duvet, and 100 percent Jacquard-woven cotton linens.
For more on the Princess Sleep Initiative and the Relaxation Report, visit www.princess.com/sleep.
For more on Dr. Breus, visit www.thesleepdoctor.com.
To purchase the Princess Luxury Bed, visit www.princessluxurybed.com.
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