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Sleep Duration and Life Satisfaction

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  • Alan T. Piper

Abstract

Sleep is an important part of life, with an individual spending an estimated 32 years of her life asleep. Despite this importance, little is known about life satisfaction and sleep duration. Using German panel data, it is shown that sleep is an important factor for life satisfaction and that maximal life satisfaction is associated with about eight hours of sleep on a typical weekday. This figure represents, on average, an hour more than people currently sleep suggesting that more sleep would lead to a higher reported satisfaction with life.

Suggested Citation

  • Alan T. Piper, 2015. "Sleep Duration and Life Satisfaction," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 745, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    • Handle: RePEc:diw:diwsop:diw_sp745
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Sleep duration and life satisfaction
      by noname in ZeeConomics on 2015-04-26 12:24:58

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    Cited by:

    1. Kamal Azza Mohamed, 2019. "Can Sleep Duration Help Explain Differences in the Happiness Index Across Nations?," Economics, Sciendo, vol. 7(2), pages 59-67, December.
    2. David G. Blanchflower & Alex Bryson, 2020. "Unemployment Disrupts Sleep," DoQSS Working Papers 20-13, Quantitative Social Science - UCL Social Research Institute, University College London.
    3. Lu Yu & Daniel Tan Lei Shek, 2018. "Testing Longitudinal Relationships between Internet Addiction and Well-Being in Hong Kong Adolescents: Cross-Lagged Analyses Based on three Waves of Data," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 11(5), pages 1545-1562, October.
    4. Hyemee Kim & Heyjin Moon & Joan P. Yoo & Eunji Nam, 2020. "How Do Time Use and Social Relationships Affect the Life Satisfaction Trajectory of Korean Adolescents?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(5), pages 1-12, February.
    5. Jin, L. & Ziebarth, N.R., 2015. "Sleep and Human Capital: Evidence from Daylight Saving Time," Health, Econometrics and Data Group (HEDG) Working Papers 15/27, HEDG, c/o Department of Economics, University of York.
    6. Jara, Cristián & Pérez, Francisca & Wagner, Rodrigo, 2025. "Sleep hours fall as income rises: Macro and micro evidence on sleep inequality around the world," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).
    7. Marika Kontturi & Marianna Virtanen & Saana Myllyntausta & K. C. Prakash & Jaana Pentti & Jussi Vahtera & Sari Stenholm, 2024. "Are changes in sleep problems associated with changes in life satisfaction during the retirement transition?," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 21(1), pages 1-14, December.
    8. Piper, Alan, 2024. "In a dark wood: an exploration of the midlife low in human wellbeing and a research agenda," MPRA Paper 121612, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Blanchflower, David G. & Bryson, Alex, 2021. "Unemployment and sleep: evidence from the United States and Europe," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).
    10. Samira Barbara Jabakhanji & Anthony Lepinteur & Giorgia Menta & Alan Piper & Claus Vögele, 2022. "Sleep quality and the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic in five European countries," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(12), pages 1-18, December.

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • C23 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models
    • D10 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - General
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being

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