Nearly Half of Americans Struggle to Stay Awake Behind Wheel

About 45% of adult drivers say they have struggled to stay awake while driving, according to a recent survey from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Only 48% of respondents indicated that they have never driven drowsy. Another 7% reported that they don't drive.

The academy conducted that particular survey of 2,003 U.S. adults in September.

In a more recent October survey, the academy explored reasons why Americans tend to be fatigued.

A primary culprit appears to be binge-watching, with 88% of U.S. adults admitting they had lost sleep due to staying up late to watch multiple episodes of a TV show or streaming series. This number jumps to 95% when looking at 18- to 44-year-olds. While those 45 and older were the least likely to lose sleep from binge-watching, 80% have done so.

Survey respondents also said they postponed their bedtime to read, play video games, and watch sports.

When it comes to reading at night, women rule. Some 71% said they lost sleep to stay up and read as compared with 61% of men. 

However, men (59%) were more likely to postpone sleep for video gaming than women (42%). Young adults aged 18 to 34 (72%) were more likely than those 35 and older (38%) to have stayed up to play video games.

Finally, while almost 60% of all U.S. adults have stayed up past their bedtime to watch sports, men clearly have the advantage on this behavior. Some 75% of men admit they lost sleep due to watching sporting events on TV, compared with just 45% of women.

Additionally, sporting events commanded the attention of 25-54-year-olds more than other age ranges, with 54% saying they stayed up for overtime or extra innings.

Drowsy driving remains a significant hazard on the nation’s roadways. Each year in the U.S., drowsy driving causes an average of 328,000 motor vehicle accidents, including 6,400 fatal crashes, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.