Wanna wake up in the city that doesn’t sleep? Then you’ll have to leave NYC.
Newark, New Jersey — a bustling metropolis mere minutes outside of Manhattan — now ranks as the No.1, absolute “worst city” in America for a good night’s sleep, per a new report.
It’s a local locale that’s been bested by the rest.
“Newark’s low score is, in part, due to the worst average noise pollution levels and fourth worst light pollution levels in the study,” David Charles, co-founder of Mood, a federally legal cannabis retailer that commissioned the study, said in a statement.
For the findings, researchers created an index that analyzed noise pollution, light pollution and anxiety levels in 97 of the most populated cities across the US.
Investigators sourced the noise population data from the U.S. Department of Transportation, light pollution data from the Earth Observation Group, and anxiety severity data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The analysts then calculated figures from the reports and assigned each city a sleep index score out of 100.
Newark, owing to its bright lights and departing flights, earned an eye-popping 16.
“Newark is a major transportation hub for the New York City metro area,” noted Charles, “with one of the busiest airports in the country and many major highways running through the city limits.”
Ironically, one of those major highways leads directly to the nation’s sixth-most awful city for catching high-quality Z’s: Jersey City, New Jersey.
Who says Jersey’s a snore?
The hotspot, just across the Hudson River, received a disappointing 37.4 sleep index score in the rating. It trailed behind other major cities that made it into the top 10 worst places for shut-eye, including Washington, D.C., Denver, Colorado, Boston, Massachusetts and Long Beach, California.
New York City landed in the top 15 worst cities with a sleep index score of 42.6.
But the sore losers of Gotham can breathe a sigh of relief — when it comes to reigning as the worst city for dating, and having a horrible habit of littering, we’re No. 1!
Resting cozily as the top three “best US cities” for sleep are Lincoln, Nebraska, Omaha, Nebraska, Chesapeake, Virginia, thanks to their respective low levels of excess noise, lights and stress.
“Sleep is one of the most important things you can do for your health and overall mental wellbeing,” said Charles. “It helps you recharge and recover from the stresses of the day, and gives you the energy to meet tomorrow’s challenges.”
“A good environment for sleep is critical for getting a good night’s sleep. Your bedroom should be as quiet, calm, and dark as possible, and preferably at a cool temperature,” he added. “The less this applies, the harder most people are going to find it to fall asleep.”
“While you can change the sleeping environment within your home, there is only so much you can do if you live in a noisy neighborhood or where there is a large amount of light pollution.”
