California’s Sleep Crisis: Money Concerns Keep 7.6 Million Up at Night, Finds Study.

By Mackenzie Thomas

• 20% of adults in California suffer from sleep deprivation due to money worries.
• San Bernardino; Riverside; Crescent City, Eureka and El Centro the most affected places.
• Interactive map showing study results across the U.S. 

Concerns about money aren’t just a financial burden — they are a mental and emotional one as well. A growing body of research has demonstrated the pernicious impact of financial liabilities on mental well-being, with a specific focus on how financial distress contributes to sleep disorders. The repercussions are severe: poor sleep has been associated with a multitude of physical and mental health issues.

BadCredit.org commissioned a study in September 2023 on the extent to which money worries causes sleep deprivation. They surveyed 3,000 respondents to ascertain the number of people who say their financial liabilities (excluding mortgages) causes them to stay awake at night, and combined this data with figures on insufficient sleep from County Health Rankings. This enabled them to identify which states and counties in the U.S. are most affected.

The study revealed that Hawaii residents’ sleep patterns are most affected by financial concerns. Here, 28% of Hawaii respondents — or 410,410 people — said they suffer from insufficent sleep because of concern over their liabilities.

California’s sleep crisis is evident in the study’s findings. Here, 7,663,149 people have insufficient sleep due to these money worries. This equates to 20% of all adults in the state. In fact, Californians are also among the most likely to experience finance-related sleepless nights – they ranked 16th overall. 

The study also identified the cities in California whose residents experience the most sleepless nights as a result of their financial situations (weighted by population), and how many adults in each city are impacted:

1. San Bernardino: 50,583 people
2. Riverside: 75,071 people
3. Crescent City: 1,676 people
4. Eureka: 5.954 people
5. El Centro: 9,702 people

Here’s a closer look at the top 10 states where financial concerns are seemingly robbing people of their peaceful slumber:

1. Hawaii: 28%
2. West Virginia: 26%
3. Rhode Island: 23%
4. Idaho: 23%
5. Kansas: 22%
6. Connecticut: 21%
7. Arizona: 21%
8. South Carolina: 21%
9. New Jersey: 21%
10. Maine: 21%

In stark contrast, Vermont emerged as a relative haven, with just 9% of its populace reporting money-related sleep disturbances.

Interactive map showing study findings across America (click on ’embed’ to host on your site)

The troubling interplay between financial worries and sleep is more than just numbers, according to BadCredit.org; it’s about real people facing real challenges. The persistent anxiety surrounding financial management, particularly when it spirals out of control, can trigger a cascade of mental health issues.

Over time, this chronic stress can morph into physical ailments such as headaches, muscle tension, heart conditions, and sleep disturbances. This cycle of deteriorating mental and physical health makes climbing out of the financial pit even more daunting.