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Utahns are pretty good at getting a healthy amount of shut-eye, and so are our neighbors in the Rocky Mountain states, according to a new federal study.
But why would people along the Wasatch Front be more likely to get at least seven hours of slumber than those living along the Appalachian Mountains or those who call the islands of Hawaii home?
It appears to have much less to do with geography than it does with their health and race, the jobs they work and the degrees they hold.
On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the results of a 2014 telephone survey of more than 440,000 adults nationwide, and for the first time, it broke out the sleep results by state.
Each person was asked how much sleep they average in a day. Those who get less than seven hours have an overall increased risk of death, not to mention an increased risk of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke and mental distress.
South Dakotans were the most likely to get enough rest, topping the list with 71.6 percent of its residents getting at least seven hours. Utah came in seventh, at 69.2 percent. The national average was 64.9 percent.
Also in the top 10 were Colorado, Idaho and Montana.
Hawaii came in last at 56.1 percent.
The overall trend is that people in the Plains and Rocky Mountain states get enough rest, while the South and Midwest struggle to sleep.
These regional trends match maps that track obesity, diabetes and other indicators of poor health, according to the CDC.
People who smoke tend to sleep less, so it doesn't hurt Utah that it has the lowest smoking rate in the nation, at 12.2 percent.
But health isn't everything — at least it isn't the only indicator of a good sleeper.
The CDC also pointed out a number of other trends that explain why Utahns might rank so high in this stat.
People who have jobs sleep better than people who don't. Married people get more shut-eye than those who are divorced or single. The well-educated are more likely to sleep for seven hours than those who never earned a college degree.
In each of these areas, Utah does well. The state has an above-average number of married people with college degrees and jobs.
The state's population is predominantly white, and its biggest minority group is Hispanics — the two groups that just happen to be the best sleepers, with blacks and Pacific Islanders being the worst sleepers.
In two areas, Utah appears to buck its demographic trend.
Young people don't sleep as well as older people, and Utah is the youngest state in the nation. Also women are more likely to get seven hours of shut-eye than men, and Utah is one of the few states with more men than women.
But overall, Utah's relative health and economic well-being appear to lead to a state full of people sleeping easy.