Early to Bed and Early to Rise Makes a Man Healthy, Wealthy and Wise: The Relationship of Sleep to Health, Income and Education

Abstract

Abstract Purpose To provide evidence for Benjamin Franklin's proverb, “Early to Bed and Early to Rise Makes a Man Healthy, Wealthy and Wise,” we used survey data to evaluate the relationship between sleep duration and health, income, and education.Methods Sleep, demographic, and wellness data from 49,365 participants aged 18 years and older was sourced from the 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). The BRFSS is a cross-sectional telephone survey conducted by state health departments with technical and methodological assistance provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Self-reported sleep duration was assessed as well as self-perceptions of health and wellness. Participants’ income and educational level were used as representatives for ‘wealth’ and ‘wise,’ respectively.Results Individuals with average daily sleep durations between 7 and 9 hours reported significantly better physical and mental wellness as compared to those who reported fewer than 7 hours or more than 9 hours of sleep per day (p < 0.001). Similarly, these individuals reported the highest self-ratings of overall health and life satisfaction (p < 0.001), had the greatest percentage with 4-year college degrees and reported the highest levels of income of the three groups.Conclusion When using sleep duration as a proxy for ‘early to bed and early to rise,’ this study supports Benjamin Franklin's aphorism that adequate sleep “makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” Whether adequate sleep resulted in, or was a result of, better health, higher income and higher education, a relationship between them is clear.