JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — From being the proud mother of 13-year-old Jiselle and 6-year-old Jordy to a thriving career in finance, Jessica Hill says most of her days start at 5:30 in the morning and end around 11:30 most nights.
When asked how many hours of sleep she is averaging a night, Hill told Action News Jax Anchor Tenikka Hughes, “If I’m lucky, like six.”
The 2025 results of a poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation found 6 out of 10 adults don’t get enough sleep, 4 in 10 have trouble falling asleep during the week, and almost half have trouble staying asleep.
2023 data from the CDC found that almost 80 percent of teens aren’t getting enough sleep either.
The statistics don’t come as a surprise to Dr. Mariam louis, Director of the UF Health Sleep Program.
Dr. Louis said, “Over the last decade, I would say there’s been more and more people that are having difficulties with their sleep. And I would guess that the bulk of the reason is mostly our lifestyles. Too much caffeine intake, too much television, too many phones, too much stress, too much anxiety.”
Dr. Louis says adults should get 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night, teens between 8 and 11 hours and younger children need 9 to 12 hours of sleep each night. The doctor says there can be serious consequences when we don’t get proper sleep.
“Cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, decreased immune system, so increased risk of infections,” said Dr. Louis.
Plus, potential mood changes, depression or negative impacts on school, work and social interactions.
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Being a busy single mom, Jessica has learned to function with just a little shut eye but it is not for lack of trying. Tea is her go to for winding down at night.
Hill said, “I drink a lot of tea. Chamomile tea, sleepy time tea, dandelion tea.” She added, “I try not to do melatonin because it does make me feel groggy in the morning because I have to wake up so early. So not so much that, but tea every night.”
Dr. Louis says the real remedy for sleep involves simple lifestyle changes and reframing how we think about rest.
First, the doctor says to identify what time you need to wake up. For example, let us say that’s 7 a.m. From there, work backwards based on your recommended hours of sleep. If we use 8 hours of sleep for adults, that means you should plan to go to bed by 11 pm.
In addition to figuring out your proper bedtime, Dr. Louis says you also need to make lifestyle changes. The doctor says to stop drinking caffeine eight hours before bedtime. Based on an 11 pm bedtime, that would mean no more caffeine after 3 pm.
The doctor says to have your last heavy meal 3-4 hours before bedtime and eliminate the use of electronic devices 30 minutes to one hour before bedtime.
Dr. Louis said, “Sleep is affected by so many factors. But a lot of it, the good news is, a lot of it is under our control.”
Action News Jax shared the doctor’s advice with Jessica, who hopes to incorporate some changes into her family’s routine. Hill said, “I don’t want to set bad habits for my kids. I don’t want them to see, ‘Well, mom goes to bed late and wakes up early and she’s just running, running, running.’ I want them to prioritize their rest and their sleep. So, you know, where does this start, I guess with me.”
Another piece of advice, Dr. Louis says if you are in bed and cannot fall asleep within 20 minutes to get out of bed and go to another room. She said to do something monotonous like reading a book and once you start to feel sleepy again, then go back to bed.
If you make these changes and are still unable to sleep, and it is affecting your quality of life, the doctor recommends you reach out to a medical professional.
Click here for more sleep tips and resources from the National Sleep Foundation.
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