Only 35 percent of Americans sleep an average of seven to nine hours a night, which is the amount that you’re supposed to sleep. According to historical polling, in 1942 only 11 percent slept six hours or less per night, a figure that by 1990 was already up to 42 percent. That’s one reason that some states are starting to do some serious work to help their citizens slumber. First up is California, which will require public high schools to start at 8:30AM or later, a half-hour later than the national average and which will allow teenagers to sleep more at a critical time in their development.
