This Is the Worst City for Sleep Health, Data Says

Where you live affects so many aspects of your life. I don’t know about you, but when I’m looking to move, I take into consideration the noise pollution in regards to how it might impact my rest, but there are a handful of other factors I never considered that could negatively affect our sleep health. U.S. News & World Report recently analyzed data on cities across the country to see which ranked as the best and worst for sleep health.

The study rated major cities based on data about their air pollution, light pollution, noise pollution, physical activity and short sleep duration, all of which affect sleep, to see which ranked the highest cumulatively. According to their findings, the city that’s the worst for sleep health is Philadelphia, PA. The runner-ups for worst sleep health include Miami, FL; Detroit, MI; New York City; Memphis, TN; Chicago, IL; Washington, DC; Boston, MA; Long Beach, CA and Fresno, CA.

Notably, many of the cities with the worst sleep health are located on the eastern side of the U.S. Additionally, most of the bottom half of the list features cities that are older and more interconnected than the western side of the country, researchers note. They also tend to be far worse when it comes to every kind of pollution.

If you’re looking to get a good night’s sleep, you might want to consider moving to Austin, TX. The southern city ranked the best city for sleep health. If you’re an east coaster, it seems you have to travel west if you want to be well-rested. In second place is Raleigh, NC, followed by Fort Worth, TX; San Diego, CA; Colorado Springs, CO; Albuquerque, NM; Tulsa, OK; Omaha, NE; San Jose, CA and Tucson, AZ. With the exception of Raleigh, NC, all of the top 10 are located west of the Mississippi River.