Healthy Adults In Chicago At Increased Risk For Weight Gain, Alzheimer's Disease And Heart Disorders Due To Lack Of Sleep

WARREN, Mich., Nov. 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- An extra hour of sleep can't come soon enough for sleepy Chicagoans.  Scientists are proving over and over the direct connection between lack of sleep and poor sleep quality to life-threatening diseases and obesity.  And now, a new sleep survey commissioned by Art Van Furniture PureSleep suggests people in Chicago are at an increased risk as we prepare for the time change. 

In recent weeks, Johns Hopkins researchers reported a link between disturbed sleep and Alzheimer's Disease¹.  A study conducted at the University of Pennsylvania revealed healthy adults who get less sleep are at increased risk of weight gain².  A third study published in The European Journal of Preventive Cardiology showed how crucial a good night's sleep is for your heart³.  People in Chicago may learn this the hard way... by not sleeping.

The Chicago sleep survey found 68 percent of Chicagoans needed help falling asleep and 62 percent wake up experiencing some sort of pain.  The vast majority of Chicagoans sleep on old and dirty mattresses with pillows that no longer offer support.

"Many people complain of difficulty falling and staying asleep," said Dr. Amy Guralnick, clinical associate of medicine, University of Chicago Medicine.  "Discomfort during sleep time may worsen these complaints. Ideally the sleep environment, which includes the mattress and pillow, should be replaced frequently enough to provide maximum comfort during sleep. If you have serious concerns about your sleep you should seek the advice of your doctor."

Turns out, the doctor's recommendations are falling on sleepy ears.

Here are the findings of the Chicago Sleep Survey:

• Need help falling asleep. 68 percent have used some sort of sleep measure (i.e., sleep aid, meditation, etc.) to fall asleep.
• Mattresses need to be replaced. 40 percent have had their mattress for seven or more years. Mattresses should be kept no more than eight to 10 years because the body changes during this time period and requires a different level of support.
• Pillows no longer providing support. 84 percent of Chicagoans have had their pillow for more than one year. Depending on the pillow type, it should be replaced as soon as six months after it was purchased.
• Sleep deprived. Nearly all Chicagoans (89 percent) wake up at least once during a night's sleep.
• Unaware mattress is dirty. 89 percent of Chicagoans are unaware that their mattress is one of the dirtiest places in their home. An unprotected mattress can fill with dust mites, dead skin and other allergens, leading it to weigh twice as much over a ten year period.
• Burning the candle at both ends. On a typical day, 54 percent of Chicagoans get up before 7:00 a.m., with more than 1 in 4 (27 percent) out of bed before 6:00 a.m. Additionally, 15 percent are going to bed before 10:00 p.m., with more than 1 in 4 (29 percent) going to bed after midnight.

Now, a five-minute test can find out what's keeping you up at night.  Research procured by sleep experts at Duke University and the Research Triangle International led to the development of Art Van PureSleep, a brief, in-store diagnostic test which includes taking more 1,000 calculations and over 18 statistical measurements to pinpoint the exact mattress and pillow for an individual's needs. A properly fitted mattress and pillow provides enveloping support for the entire body, allowing the weight of it to be distributed across the surface of a mattress and pillow.

Art Van Furniture, Chicago's newest furniture and mattress retailer, commissioned the survey to unearth the sleep habits of the city. With five retail locations now open in the Chicagoland area, including Logan Square, Bedford Park, Orland Park, Batavia and, Merrillville-Ind., Art Van PureSleep is now able to help Chicagoans rest easy at night. For more information, visit www.artvanpuresleep.com.

About Art Van Furniture
Art Van Furniture is Michigan's largest furniture retailer and America's largest independent furniture retailer.  Art Van is Michigan's no. 1 mattress retailer and puts one out of two Michigan residents to bed at night. The company operates 39 stores throughout Michigan, five stores in the Chicagoland area, one store in Springfield Township (Toledo), Ohio, a full service e-commerce website, plus 11 freestanding Art Van PureSleep bedding stores. Founded in 1959, the company is family-owned and headquartered in Warren, Michigan. Visit www.artvan.com for more information.

About the Art Van Furniture PureSleep Survey
The Art Van Furniture Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research (www.wakefieldresearch.com) among 400 residents of the Chicago DMA ages 18+, between October 14^th and October 23^rd, 2013, using an email invitation and an online survey. Quotas have been set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of residents of the Chicago DMA ages 18+. For the interviews conducted in this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 4.9 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample.

¹ John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, October 2013
² University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, June 2013
³ European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, July 2013

SOURCE Art Van Furniture