Dec 18, 2025 - Health

D.C., we need to talk about your sleep

Carly Mallenbaum

Illustration of a person fast asleep on top of a clock with no hands. — Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Washingtonians, it's time to consider a new sleep routine.

The big picture: Compared to the rest of the country, Oura users in D.C. had the lowest average sleep score, per data the smart ring company shared with Axios.

By the numbers: States with the best mean sleep scores were …

Wyoming (79.59)
Vermont (79.40)
Montana (79.39)
Maine (79.33)
Idaho (79.19)

Between the lines: According to Oura, a sleep score of 85 and higher indicates "optimal" rest.

Between 70 and 84 means that sleep is "on the right track."

D.C.'s average was lower than any other U.S. state's at 77.56.

Yes, but: The District had the highest average activity score, Oura says.
And the title of most-stressed state (which is calculated using data including heart rate and nighttime movements) went to South Dakota.

Zoom out: Globally, women tracked more sleep than men (7.24 hours compared to 6.8), and had about 30 more stressed minutes a day, per Oura.

The fine print: The numbers are based on data from mid-November 2024 to mid-November 2025.

Go deeper: What's the deal with "sleepmaxxing"

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D.C., we need to talk about your sleep

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