Rising inflation, climbing unemployment, and shaky job prospects are taking a toll on Gen Z — so much so that nearly 70% say financial stress is keeping them up at night.
A survey by Amerisleep, which polled over 1,000 Americans, found that almost half of all age groups lose sleep over money worries such as inflation and layoffs. But Gen Z tops the list, with 69% lying awake thinking about finances and 47% fretting about job security — more than any other generation.
High housing and rent costs are also key disruptors, with nearly half of young adults citing them as their biggest source of stress.
The study revealed that 47% of Americans have woken up in the middle of the night due to financial anxiety, and 11% now average fewer than 5 hours of sleep. Among those who check their bank accounts before bed, that figure rises to 13%.
Instead of turning to financial planning, many Gen Zers cope in ways that worsen the problem. Over half scroll social media when they can’t sleep, 47% binge TV shows, and more than a third resort to “bed rotting” — lying in bed for long stretches without purpose, which experts warn further disrupts healthy sleep cycles.
Even headlines themselves are a trigger: nearly half of respondents said reading economic news late in the day has kept them awake. Worry peaks either before bedtime (25%), in the middle of the night (16%), or simply lingers all day (36%).
Health experts caution that while screen time or bed rotting might feel like a distraction, they may intensify insomnia. Instead, they recommend a calming bedtime routine, a “phone curfew,” and stress-relief techniques such as journaling or deep breathing to help reclaim rest.
