WASHINGTON _ Suffering from insomnia? Here's a quick cure: Stop caring about politics so much.
A new survey shows that 1 in 7 Americans are so riled up about politics that they're losing sleep over it, according to a Bankrate.com report. That adds up to 34 million people, more than those who lose sleep over health care costs or paying rent.
The more education and money Americans have, the more they lie awake over political worries, the survey found. Twenty percent of those with a college degree say they toss and turn, compared with just 9 percent of those without one.
Sixteen percent of those making $75,000 or more stress about politics, while only 7 percent of those making under $30,000 say they do.
Those on the coasts care about politics the most. Seventeen percent of those who live in the West lose sleep over politics, followed by 16 percent of those who live in the Northeast. Nine percent of Southerners do.
Younger baby boomers (aged 54-63) are the most likely age group to lose sleep over politics.
Research firm GfK Custom Research polled 1,000 Americans on behalf of Bankrate to figure out what's keeping them up at night. Respondents could choose from relationships, money, work, health and politics, and could select more than one option. Relationships are the biggest stressor at 41 percent, followed by money at 36 percent.
Older millennials were the most likely to lose sleep in general. More than three-quarters of Americans aged 28 to 37 lie awake in bed while their minds run amok.
