--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Back in the 1940s, people were sleeping…" description: "\"Back in the 1940s, people were sleeping on average just a little bit over eight hours a night, and now, in the modern age, we're down to around 6.7, 6...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/matthew-walker-9547_age_back-in-the-1940s-people-were-sleeping-o_1683659.jpg" --- # Back in the 1940s, people were sleeping on average just a… ![“Back in the 1940s, people were sleeping on average just a little bit over eight hours a night, and now, in the modern age, we're down to around 6.7, 6.8 hours a night.” quote by Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/matthew-walker-9547_age_back-in-the-1940s-people-were-sleeping-o_1683659.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/matthew-walker-9547_age_back-in-the-1940s-people-were-sleeping-o_1683659.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/matthew-walker-9547_age_back-in-the-1940s-people-were-sleeping-o_1683659.jpg) > “Back in the 1940s, people were sleeping on average just a little bit over eight hours a night, and now, in the modern age, we're down to around 6.7, 6.8 hours a night.” [Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Sleep duration has decreased from ~8 hours to ~6.7 hours over decades, indicating modern lifestyle impacts. **In simple terms:** People sleep less now. Key Takeaway Prioritize adequate sleep. Themes health sleep modern life biology Mood concerned informative Type health educational When to use this quote - personal health - workplace policies - public health campaigns Key Concepts circadian rhythm sleep debt public health Questions to Reflect On - How does your sleep compare? - What changes could improve sleep? A Different Perspective Reduced sleep may affect productivity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Modern age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-age/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleep/) ## Related quotes > [The questions that consume me, that keep me up at night, are the people that are sleeping on the streets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-garcetti/the-questions-that-consume-me-that-keep-me-up-at-night-are-the-people/) [Eric Garcetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-garcetti/) > [Do I think people are sleeping on me? Absolutely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-gaethje/do-i-think-people-are-sleeping-on-me-absolutely/) [Justin Gaethje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-gaethje/) > [I'm bad at sleeping. I get somewhere between three and six hours a night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monty-don/i-m-bad-at-sleeping-i-get-somewhere-between-three-and-six-hours-a/) [Monty Don](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monty-don/) > [“I though it was weird to see people sleeping. It scared me to see them with their eyes closed. Like they might never wake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyung-sook-shin/i-though-it-was-weird-to-see-people-sleeping-it-scared-me-to-see-them/) [Kyung-sook Shin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyung-sook-shin/) > [I wasn't sleeping on the streets at night. Of course, there were a lot of good people sleeping in the streets. They weren't fools,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-wasn-t-sleeping-on-the-streets-at-night-of-course-there-were-a-lot/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [“Of course, there were a lot of good people sleeping in the streets. They weren’t fools, they just didn’t fit into the needed machinery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/of-course-there-were-a-lot-of-good-people-sleeping-in-the-streets/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [“It's sad to fall asleep. It separates people. Even when you're sleeping together, you're all alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-l-merrow/it-s-sad-to-fall-asleep-it-separates-people-even-when-you-re-sleeping/) [J.L. Merrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-l-merrow/) > [No one would look at an infant baby asleep, and say 'What a lazy baby!' We know sleeping is non-negotiable for a baby. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/no-one-would-look-at-an-infant-baby-asleep-and-say-what-a-lazy-baby/) [Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) > [When did a doctor prescribe, not sleeping pills, but sleep itself? It needs to be prioritised, even incentivised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/when-did-a-doctor-prescribe-not-sleeping-pills-but-sleep-itself-it/) [Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) > [I find I can get so much done between midnight and 4 a.m. Everything is quiet, no one is disturbing me, and if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/i-find-i-can-get-so-much-done-between-midnight-and-4-a-m-everything/) [Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/) > [I need eight hours of z's a night to be at my best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-romijn/i-need-eight-hours-of-z-s-a-night-to-be-at-my-best/) [Rebecca Romijn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-romijn/) > [After film school, I would write 8 hours a day on film and 8 hours a night on TV, and then sleep once and a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-lindholm/after-film-school-i-would-write-8-hours-a-day-on-film-and-8-hours-a/) [Tobias Lindholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-lindholm/) > [I still try and sleep for eight hours a night. The babies have been sleeping through the night for a long time so that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lopez/i-still-try-and-sleep-for-eight-hours-a-night-the-babies-have-been/) [Jennifer Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lopez/) > [I'm a very light sleeper. I get about six hours a night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-newton-john/i-m-a-very-light-sleeper-i-get-about-six-hours-a-night/) [Olivia Newton-John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-newton-john/) > [I don't like working all hours of the night and having an unreliable working pattern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-giacchino/i-don-t-like-working-all-hours-of-the-night-and-having-an-unreliable/) [Michael Giacchino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-giacchino/) ## More by Matthew Walker > [“Routinely sleeping less than six or seven hours a night demolishes your immune system, more than doubling your risk of cancer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/routinely-sleeping-less-than-six-or-seven-hours-a-night-demolishes/) [Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) > [You're trying to sleep off a debt that you've lumbered your brain and body with during the week, and wouldn't it be lovely if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/you-re-trying-to-sleep-off-a-debt-that-you-ve-lumbered-your-brain-and/) [Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) > [“The best bridge between despair and hope is a good night’s sleep.”VII”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/the-best-bridge-between-despair-and-hope-is-a-good-night-s-sleep-vii/) [Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) > [I think we perhaps are, with sleep, where we were with smoking about 50 years ago, in that we had all of the science,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/i-think-we-perhaps-are-with-sleep-where-we-were-with-smoking-about-50/) [Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) > [It's simply that older adults don't seem to be able to generate sleep efficiently, and that's why they're not getting it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/it-s-simply-that-older-adults-don-t-seem-to-be-able-to-generate-sleep/) [Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) > [The time of night when you sleep makes a significant difference in terms of the structure and quality of your sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/the-time-of-night-when-you-sleep-makes-a-significant-difference-in/) [Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) > [Do you tend to sleep in during the weekends? That usually signals that you're trying to sleep off a debt you've accumulated during the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/do-you-tend-to-sleep-in-during-the-weekends-that-usually-signals-that/) [Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) > [No one wants to give up time with their family or entertainment, so they give up sleep instead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/no-one-wants-to-give-up-time-with-their-family-or-entertainment-so/) [Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) > [If sleep does not provide a remarkable set of benefits, then it's the biggest mistake the evolutionary process has ever made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/if-sleep-does-not-provide-a-remarkable-set-of-benefits-then-it-s-the/) [Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) > [Your subjective sense of how well you're doing under conditions of sleep deprivation is a miserable predictor of, objectively, how you actually are doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/your-subjective-sense-of-how-well-you-re-doing-under-conditions-of/) [Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) > [If you were not to set an alarm clock, would you sleep past it? If the answer is yes, then there is clearly more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/if-you-were-not-to-set-an-alarm-clock-would-you-sleep-past-it-if-the/) [Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) > [Friends say, 'Shall we go out to dinner at 8?' I say, 'I can't, I'm a 10 A.M.-till-6:30 P.M. kind of guy.' I keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/friends-say-shall-we-go-out-to-dinner-at-8-i-say-i-can-t-i-m-a-10-a-m/) [Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) > [I give myself a non-negotiable eight-hour sleep opportunity every night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/i-give-myself-a-non-negotiable-eight-hour-sleep-opportunity-every/) [Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) > [We know that efficiency and effectiveness are increased when you're getting sufficient sleep, and it will take you longer to do the same thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/we-know-that-efficiency-and-effectiveness-are-increased-when-you-re/) [Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) > [As you try to tweak your sleep one way or the other, you might be, you might be doing great - you might do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/as-you-try-to-tweak-your-sleep-one-way-or-the-other-you-might-be-you/) [Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) [Explore all 72 Matthew Walker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) ## More Age quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. 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Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? 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That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) [Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Back in the 1940s, people were sleeping on average just a little bit over eight hours a night, and now, in the modern age, we're down to around 6.7, 6.8 hours a night.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Matthew Walker" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/back-in-the-1940s-people-were-sleeping-on-average-just-a-little-bit/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Age" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/back-in-the-1940s-people-were-sleeping-on-average-just-a-little-bit/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/matthew-walker-9547_age_back-in-the-1940s-people-were-sleeping-o_1683659.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/matthew-walker-9547_age_back-in-the-1940s-people-were-sleeping-o_1683659.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/matthew-walker-9547_age_back-in-the-1940s-people-were-sleeping-o_1683659.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Back in the 1940s, people were sleeping on average just a little bit over eight hours a night, and now, in…” — Matthew Walker", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Matthew Walker", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Back in the 1940s, people were...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/back-in-the-1940s-people-were-sleeping-on-average-just-a-little-bit/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/back-in-the-1940s-people-were-sleeping-on-average-just-a-little-bit/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```