We can safely say that the past 18 months have been far from relaxed thanks to all the questions a pandemic brings with it. In honor of the National Relaxation Day on August 15th, Ameris sleep decided to delve a little deeper into the theory that some cities are more nervous than others.
After doing some research on outside sources, we found that four out of five American adults found the pandemic to be a significant source of stress in their lives, while seven out of 10 agreed that their stress levels increased during the pandemic period. In fact, nearly half of the adults (49%) in America attended one Study by the APA, reported that their behavior had changed negatively due to increased stress, with some reporting physical tension, shortness of breath, unexpected mood swings, and yelling at a loved one.
With that in mind, we wanted to investigate which cities can put Americans on their bucket lists when looking for a relaxing vacation or even permanent move.
San Jose (CA) occupies the top spot as the most relaxing city of the 15 largest cities in the USA, followed by Jacksonville (FL) and Austin (TX). Meanwhile, San Antonio (TX), Dallas (TX) and Phoenix (AZ) are considered to be the 3 least relaxing cities.
We researched both internal and external data to create the Relaxation Index and determined which of the 15 largest cities in the US can be considered the most relaxing and which can be the least touted. Factors that were taken into account when creating the ranking were light pollution, quiet surroundings, traffic noise, green spaces, proximity to the coast and extreme weather conditions.
Each city was rated under 15 in the six categories, with a maximum of 90. The cities with the lowest of 90 are the most relaxing.
The top 3 most relaxing cities are:
1. San Jose, CA – 27/90
This Californian city deserves its spot as the most laid-back city in the US, ranking in the top five for three of the six factors considered. San Jose ranks first in light pollution, as well 90% of the city’s residents agree that they feel they live in a peaceful environmentwhich puts San Jose in fourth place for that factor.
2. Jacksonville, FL – 28/90
Jacksonville lands in second place on the relaxation index with impressive values across the board! The city ranks second for light pollution and third for its proximity to an open water source. In fact, the closest beach to town – Atlantic Beach – is just 6 miles from the hotel Center of Jacksonville. But Jacksonville ranks lowest for its green spaces with only 217.45 m² / m² per head.
3. Austin, TX – 32/90
Unsurprisingly, this inland city ranks eleventh due to its proximity to the coast, with the closest open water source – Six Mile Road – over 201 km from it Center of the city. However, Austin’s strongest advantages on this index are its low traffic noise – the city ranks first for this factor – and quite a lot of green space (276.7 m² / m² per head).
The 3 least relaxing cities are:
1. Phoenix, AZ – 55/90
Phoenix is at the bottom of the pile considered the least relaxing US city of the 15. In fact, the city ranks in the last five for four of the six factors in the index – peaceful environment (14.), Green spaces (13.), Near the coast (14.), and extreme weather (11.). The only neutral factors are light pollution (9.) and their mean values of Traffic noise.
We also wanted to investigate some of the reasons why factors such as light pollution and green spaces can affect our state of relaxation. Research suggests that the reduction in melatonin caused by exposure to light sources can lead to disturbed sleep and daytime sleepiness, leading to increased irritability and mood swings. Additionally, research into the benefits of green spaces in urban areas suggests that exposure to natural environments has largely relaxing effects – including Lowering the heart rate and lowering the level of cortisol (stress hormone).
2. Dallas, TX – 53/90
Dallas ranks second to last as the least relaxing US city and ranks last due to its proximity to the coast with the nearest beach an unfortunate 372.66 km away. When it comes to light pollution, Dallas is again in 10th place with 10600 (μcd / m2), almost twice as much as in San Jose! Fortunately, a lack of extreme weather in the city seems to save them from the lower square, with only 43 degrees Fahrenheit difference between its hottest and coldest temperature.
3. San Antonio, TX – 49/90
This southwestern city is the third largest city out of the 15 cities included in this index. San Antonio scores poorly because of its high traffic noise and proximity to the coast (the nearest open water source is 194.17 km from the center of town). Even so, nine out of ten (91%) of the city’s residents agree that the neighborhood is peaceful.
Author: Amerisleep has mattress storage locations in SanTan Village in Gilbert, Arrowhead Towne Center in Glendale and Optima Camelview Village in Scottsdale. Amerisleep offers eco-friendly mattresses, adjustable beds, pillows, sheets and more to enhance your sleeping experience.
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