A Troubling Correlation: Firearm Deaths and Insufficient Sleep in America and Colorado
In response to an increase in the frequency of homicides and mass shootings in America, the topic of gun violence is an important subject to discuss and analyze. There are many factors that may lead to gun violence, and some are clearer than others. Issues contributing to the problem include, mental health issues, easy access to firearms, and social inequality. These factors have a pretty obvious correlation to gun violence and get the bulk of the attention in discussions today about guns in the US. According to my analysis, there is another factor that is leading to an increase in gun violence in America, A lack of sleep. By using public data surrounding sleep and gun deaths, my analysis identified a positive correlation between gun violence and insufficient sleep. The analysis suggests that addressing sleep issues could be a strategy in preventing gun violence.
In understanding the relationship between firearm deaths and insufficient sleep, we need to understand the scope of the issue. With data from the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in the year 2019, there were 39,707 firearm deaths in the US. This number puts the firearm death rate at 12 per 100,000. This rate increased from 2018 and has been increasing for successive years. During this same time, research shows that many Americans are not getting enough sleep. With data from the National Sleep Foundation, around 35% of adults in the US are getting less than seven hours of sleep per night, which is the recommended sleeping time for most adults. This phenomenon puts millions of American adults at risk of experiencing the effects of sleep deprivation.
How are sleep and gun violence related?
Lack of sleep may impair judgement and increase the risk for impulsive behavior. This may lead to the improper use of firearms and result in violence. The research has shown that a lack of sufficient sleep may lead to emotional and cognitive impairments. These impairments include increased irritability, slower reaction time, and decreased attention. These issues can be worse and compound in individuals who are constantly sleep deprived, such as people with sleep disorders or people who work long hours. A main factor in determining why sleep deprivation may lead to gun violence, is that a lack of sleep can exacerbate pre-existing mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression.
Sleep deprivation may also impact the safety of firearm handling. According to a study by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, a lack of sleep increases the chances an individual will mis-handle a firearm and engage in unsafe practices, such as pointing a loaded gun at themself or others. This may be due to the fact that sleep deprivation can decrease awareness of surroundings and impair motor skills. These issues may lead to unintentional shootings and accidents. I believe the main factor that led me to identifying a positive correlation between insufficient sleep and gun deaths unfortunately relates to suicide. About half of all gun deaths in the United States can be attributed to suicide. This is extremely concerning due to the fact that sleep deprivation may increase the risk of impulsive self-harm. I believe that these are the main factors that led into my analysis and why I was able to identify a positive correlation between insufficient sleep and gun deaths in America. The correlation identified between sleep deprivation and gun deaths has a positive R-value of 0.288.
What steps can be taken to address this problem?
One strategy would be to raise awareness about how important it is for adults to sleep a minimum of seven hours per day. This may involve education campaigns directed at higher risk groups such as shift workers, and young adults like college students who may value social activities over sleeping. Employers could also provide accommodations for employees with sleep issues such as a flexible schedule. This may also improve safety and productivity within the job. Another important strategy would be to address the underlying causes of insufficient sleep. These include mental health problems, and a big factor is stress. Chronic stress may lead to insomnia which can exacerbate the effects of sleep deprivation. Promoting stress relieving techniques such as exercise and meditation may improve sleep and reduce the risk of gun violence or gun-related accidents.
Boulder and Colorado:
According to CDC data, Colorado residents have one of the biggest problems with not getting enough sleep. An estimated 34% of adults in Colorado reported averaging less than seven hours of sleep per night. This statistic is quite alarming given the previous research I conducted showing a positive correlation between insufficient sleep and gun-related deaths.
The recent grocery store shooting in Boulder is just one example of the devastation that gun violence has recently caused in the United States. According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been more than one hundred and forty mass shootings in America so far this year. There has been a total of 20,060 firearm deaths within the year. This is a significant increase in the previous years and is a massive problem in the country.
Gun violence is an extremely complex issue and has many contributing factors perpetuating the problem. While discussion about guns in America is extremely popular at the moment, there has been very little talk about the factor of insufficient sleep. My previous analysis and other research have shown that a lack of sleep can cause impairment, affect emotional functioning, increase impulsiveness, and cause unsafe actions, all of which may contribute to firearm use and death. Sleep deprivation may also exacerbate pre-existing mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression, which may contribute to suicide or gun violence.
The case of Boulder, Colorado is particularly interesting given that the state of Colorado has one of the highest rates of firearm ownership in the country. According to the Small Arms Survey, there are about 36 firearms per 100 Colorado residents, higher than the national average. This in of itself increases the risk of gun-related deaths and violence for Colorado and Boulder.
Using data on Colorado from University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute I conducted an analysis of Colorado and specifically Boulder. I was able to assess where Boulder stands against the rest of the state. In relation to sleep, the city of Boulder is one of the more well rested cities in the state of Colorado. Only 27% of Boulder adults reported averaging less than seven hours of sleep per night versus the state average of 32%. So where does Boulder stand in relation to the rest of the state with firearm fatalities? When looking at the rate of firearm deaths across the state it is important to calculate by population. The total number of firearm deaths in Boulder for 2022 was one-hundred and sixty-one. The rate per capita of firearm deaths in Boulder in 2022 was 10 which is half of the state average at 20.
This analysis only takes two factors into account so this cannot entirely explain why Boulder is sleeping well and has a low firearm death rate compared to the rest of the state. But after my analysis I can conclude the fact that Boulder adults are sleeping better than the state average and there is also a lower risk of firearm fatalities than the state average. I wouldn’t say that this relationship is causal however, there is definitely a bit of correlation between insufficient sleep and firearm deaths.
Where does Boulder stand in relation to the rest of the state for homicide? By completing a python analysis with county health data, I was able to graph the relationship between insufficient sleep and homicide for each county in the state of Colorado. As reported earlier, Boulder has some of the lowest rates of insufficient sleep at 27% of adults. The state average is 32%. The homicide rate per capita for Boulder is also comparatively low versus other counties. The homicide rate from the county health rankings data for Boulder is only one compared to the county average of four.
Overall, the risk of homicide or a firearm death is lower in Boulder than the Colorado state average. Boulder is also sleeping much better than the rest of the state with 5% less residents reporting less than seven hours of sleep per night. Although there are many factors that contribute to firearm deaths and homicide, my analysis calls for more attention and discussion to the relationship between guns and sleep. Other counties around the United States can also take note of this analysis and encouraging residents to get more sleep can be a cheap way to possibly decrease firearm deaths and homicides.
In conclusion, there is a correlation between firearm deaths and insufficient sleep in the US. This correlation may not be entirely causal; however, this troubling relationship deserves more attention. After analyzing Boulder and the State of Colorado, it is clear that Boulder has lower risk of firearm deaths, and the residents are sleeping better than average. The topic of gun violence in the US is a complex and multifaceted issue but it is clear that a lack of sleep can increase the risk for gun violence or a gun related accident. By promoting healthy sleep and addressing the causes of sleep deprivation, we may be able to slightly reduce the amount of gun deaths in America.