Most Americans Say Sleep Matters. Only a Third Say They Do It Really Well.

Most Americans say sleep is highly important to their health. Far fewer say they do it really well. In a 2026 Pew survey of 5,111 US adults, 77% called getting enough sleep highly important, but only 33% said they do it really well.^[1]

What the trials show

A 2026 review of 24 trials in peri- and postmenopausal women with chronic insomnia (17 pooled in the meta-analysis) found:^[2]

• Non-drug treatments (cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, acupuncture, yoga, massage) improved sleep quality and insomnia severity scores.
• Drug treatments improved the sleep quality score only.
• Neither treatment type changed total sleep time, measured objectively or by self-report.

Where exercise fits

Three reviews of trials in menopausal women point the same way:

• A 2024 meta-analysis of 19 trials found low- to medium-intensity aerobic exercise helped sleep disorders in menopausal women.^[3]
• A 2025 network meta-analysis of 31 trials ranked combined exercise highest for sleep quality, with flexibility and aerobic exercise also helping. The certainty of evidence ranged from low to moderate.^[4]
• A 2025 review of 13 trials (1,470 women) found aerobic, yoga, Pilates, resistance, stretching, and relaxation work all improved sleep quality.^[5]

Start here

One simple way to test this: pick one exercise type you can keep up for several weeks, and track your sleep over the same period. All of these studies were in peri- and postmenopausal women. If sleep stays poor, talk to your clinician about insomnia treatment. Ask about non-drug options. In this review, they were the better-supported group.^[2]

References

[1] Pew Research Center. Americans value their health – but many face challenges in taking care of it. 2026-04-07. pewresearch.org (US adults, n=5,111). ↑︎

[2] Bruyneel M, Rozenberg S, Sanida C, et al. Pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments for chronic insomnia in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women. Sleep Medicine. 2026;146. doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2026.109040 ↑︎

[3] Jing Y, Liu M, Tang H, et al. The effect of aerobic exercise on sleep disorder in menopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analyses. BMC Women’s Health. 2024;24(1). doi:10.1186/s12905-024-03477-2 ↑︎

[4] Zhou K, Ren Y, Zang L, Zhou Z. Sleep quality in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women: which exercise therapy is the most effective? Climacteric. 2025;28(5). doi:10.1080/13697137.2025.2509866 ↑︎

[5] Choudhary A, Bansal K. Menopause and movement: exercise for better sleep and psychological well-being. Menopause. 2025;32(11). doi:10.1097/gme.0000000000002610 ↑︎

Kurt Greiner

Kurt is a digital strategist and IT professional blending emerging technology with practical application, exploring how individuals can leverage modern tools to navigate the second half of life with purpose.