It’s a ‘whole movement’: Gen Z is willing to pay thousands just to get a good night’s sleep — and this generation is sleeping more than any other

This new trend, which some are calling sleepmaxxing, is one of the healthier trends that’s graced social media in recent years.

To do it, some Gen Zers are dropping serious money on mattresses and other sleep aids, Smart among them. He told USA Today that he and his wife invested in a $2,400 smart mattress topper after his son was born to try and win back some of the sleep they lost.

“This could really help us get better sleep, deeper sleep,” he said.

Here’s why Gen Z is so interested in getting enough sleep — and how they can afford it.

The youngest working generation is fighting high-stress situations by getting more sleep and spending on sleep aides

Gen Z is one of the most stressed generations. A 2023 study from the American Psychological Association found that those aged 18 to 34 — mostly Gen Z, with some Millennials — rated their stress level at an average of six out of 10, the highest of any age group.

According to a study from UNICEF, around 60% of Gen Z feel overwhelmed by what’s going on around them, whether that’s in their local community or the world as a whole. Overwhelmed Gen Z members to have lower levels of both well-being and empowerment.

A 2026 survey from Deloitte also shows that over half of Gen Z adults have had to put off major life decisions because of their finances — potentially for reasons outside of their control, such as the current high cost of living.

“The cost of living is a significant concern because it directly affects my ability to meet essential needs,” said Tymon, one of the Gen Z members of the survey. “When costs rise faster than income it strains our budgets, reduces our ability to save, and limits discretionary spending.”

Perhaps as a result, Gen Z is focused on something they do have control over: their wellness routine. Despite their youth, Gen Z spends above-average amounts of money across several different wellness categories, according to McKinsey research. These include health, nutrition, mindfulness, and sleep.

It might seem strange that Gen Z, with its financial concerns, would be willing to spend more on expensive mattresses or gravity blankets. But the generation isn’t using leftover money from their paycheck to buy these things. Instead, they’re taking advantage of an increasingly popular type of healthcare account.

Gen Z’s sleep spending is funded from pre-tax HSAs

The U.S. has one of the most expensive healthcare systems in the world. And the situation is getting worse quickly. In 2025, Mercer estimated that health plan costs would increase by 9% on average for employers. Over half of employers told Mercer they were planning to shift at least some of those costs to employees.

“The price of healthcare is going up faster than it has in a long time,” said Larry Levitt, Executive Vice President for Health Policy at KFF, to NPR. “And typically when an employer is getting a big increase from an insurer, the employer is turning around and trying to pass on some or all of that to its workers.”

One way for both employers and employees to reduce high premiums is to take on a high-deductible health plan (HDHP). These plans cost less per month than normal health insurance, but beneficiaries have to pay almost all of their healthcare costs out-of-pocket until they hit their deductible.