Americans are defaulting to PTO sleep—using paid time off to rest at home instead of traveling—as new data quantifies a national rest deficit. In June 2025, an Amerisleep poll of 1,000+ adults reported 57% had used PTO or called in sick to “bed rot,” accumulating an average 364 hours of in-bed downtime yearly, with Gen Z at 498 hours. [1]

Parallel research shows the time Americans do take is often limited or underutilized. Sorbet’s 2024 PTOReport found 62% don’t use all their PTO, equating to an estimated $312 billion in stranded vacation value; 5.5% took no time off in 2023, and one-third of remote workers say it’s difficult to take days off. [2]

Key Takeaways

– Shows 57% used PTO or called in sick to ‘bed rot,’ spending an average 364 hours yearly resting instead of traveling. [1] – Reveals U.S. workers receive just 12 vacation days on average, and 53% didn’t plan to use all available time off in 2024. [3] – Demonstrates 62% leave PTO unused, representing $312 billion in stranded value and 68 million Americans missing hard‑earned time‑off benefits. [2] – Indicates 46% with PTO take less than offered; top reasons include 52% saying they don’t need more and 49% fearing falling behind. [4] – Suggests culture change is needed: 78% don’t use maximum PTO, while 76% want employers to visibly value breaks through ‘loud vacations’ policies. [5]

Why PTO sleep is replacing vacations

Americans receive less formal time off than peers abroad, pushing hard choices about how to use scarce days. Expedia’s 2024 Vacation Deprivation report shows U.S. workers get just 12 vacation days on average, the fewest globally; 53% didn’t plan to use all of them in 2024 as deprivation hit an 11‑year‑high 65%. [3]

With limited days, many prioritize recovery over itineraries. The Amerisleep study suggests a pivot toward PTO sleep as a coping mechanism for fatigue: 57% used PTO or sick days to bed rot, a behavior their lead researcher said correlates with lower productivity and wellbeing. [1]

Work anxieties reinforce the shift. Pew Research found 46% of workers with PTO take less than offered; 52% say they don’t need more, and 49% worry about falling behind if they step away, leaving fewer uninterrupted windows for traditional vacations. [4]

Logistics matter too. Sorbet’s survey reported a third of remote employees find it difficult to take time off, reflecting role coverage gaps and blurred boundaries; 62% overall leave PTO unused, compounding a culture that normalizes rest‑catchup at home over destination travel. [2]

Culture change advocates argue employers must re‑normalize visible breaks. Forbes spotlighted “loud vacations”—leaders publicly modeling time off—amid data showing 78% don’t use maximum PTO and 76% want workplaces to value breaks, signaling latent demand for genuine downtime. [5]

PTO sleep by generation and work arrangement

The Amerisleep numbers show PTO sleep skews young: Gen Z reported 498 hours of bed rotting per year versus the overall average of 364 hours, underlining generational differences in how rest is pursued during or around paid leave. [1]

Work setup complicates PTO choices. Sorbet found one‑third of remote workers struggle to take time off at all, and 5.5% of employees took zero PTO in 2023; cumulatively, 68 million Americans are missing out on PTO value, a dynamic that can channel scarce days into passive recovery instead of planned trips. [2]

Overlay scarce days and high deprivation and the pattern intensifies. Expedia reported Americans hold the fewest days globally and a 65% vacation deprivation rate, so when time becomes available, physical rest—sleeping in, staying home—often outranks organizing flights, itineraries, or caregiving swaps. [3]

The economic cost of unused time off

Unused time off is expensive. Sorbet quantified $312 billion in unused vacation value in the U.S., driven by 62% of employees not exhausting their PTO allowances and tens of millions leaving benefits idle. [2]

That scarcity at both ends—few days and low utilization—helps explain PTO sleep’s rise. Expedia urged adopting international leisure practices to improve rest and productivity, yet U.S. workers average only 12 days and more than half didn’t intend to use them all. [3]

Worker psychology is a major drag. Pew’s survey indicates many underuse PTO because they feel they don’t need additional time or fear the backlog awaiting their return, allowing incremental, home‑based rest to become the default outlet. [4]

Corporate leaders warn the financial and human costs compound. Sorbet’s CEO flagged burnout and financial risks from growing PTO liabilities and nonuse, reinforcing why policy redesign—not just individual willpower—must be part of the solution to convert unused days into restorative time. [2]

How employers can reduce PTO sleep and burnout

Model the behavior. “Loud vacations”—leaders announcing and protecting their time off—counter the stigma that keeps 78% from using maximum PTO and validate employees’ desire (76%) for workplaces that explicitly value breaks. [5]

Right‑size and schedule time off. With only 12 average days, managers can pre‑book multi‑day blocks per employee, align coverage, and set clear metrics so people aren’t punished by post‑vacation pileups that fuel at‑home PTO sleep. [3]

Remove friction for distributed teams. If a third of remote workers find PTO hard to take, clarify handoffs, automate status updates, and rotate on‑call coverage so employees can disconnect fully instead of trading vacations for bed‑bound recovery. [2]

Track utilization and outcomes. HR teams can monitor balances, flag opt‑outs like the 5.5% who took none, and correlate PTO use with wellbeing or productivity to identify units where recovery is happening on couches, not beaches. [2]

Methodology and data limits of PTO sleep stats

The Amerisleep “bed rotting” survey polled more than 1,000 Americans, publishing results on its company blog in June 2025. It reported 57% using PTO or sick days to bed rot and an average of 364 hours annually, with Gen Z at 498 hours; as a commercial survey, results rely on self‑reporting and may reflect sampling biases. [1]

Sorbet’s PTOReport 2024, released July 24, 2024, estimated $312 billion in unused PTO value, found 62% don’t use all their days, highlighted 68 million Americans affected, and noted 5.5% took no PTO in 2023; remote workers’ challenges were also a key finding. [2]

Expedia’s 24th Vacation Deprivation report (June 20, 2024) quantified just 12 average U.S. vacation days, a 65% deprivation rate, and 53% not planning to use all time off, while Pew’s February 6–12, 2023 survey detailed the reasons 46% underuse PTO. Forbes’ July 18, 2024 piece synthesized emerging employer responses like “loud vacations.” [3][4][5]

Sources:

[1] Amerisleep (company blog) – Bed‑Rotting Survey: How Much Time Americans Spend Doing Nothing in Bed: https://amerisleep.com/blog/bed-rotting-survey/

[2] PR Newswire – New Survey Reveals One‑Third of U.S. Employees’ Vacation Days Go Unused; 68M Americans Losing Out on PTO Value: www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-survey-reveals-one-third-of-us-employees-vacation-days-go-unused-68m-americans-losing-out-on-pto-value-302204102.html” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow noopener noreferrer”>https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-survey-reveals-one-third-of-us-employees-vacation-days-go-unused-68m-americans-losing-out-on-pto-value-302204102.html [3] Expedia Newsroom – Expedia Report Finds Americans Win the Gold Medal for Taking Fewest Vacation Days in the World: www.expedia.com/newsroom/expedia-report-finds-americans-win-the-gold-medal-for-taking-fewest-vacation-days-globally/” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow noopener noreferrer”>https://www.expedia.com/newsroom/expedia-report-finds-americans-win-the-gold-medal-for-taking-fewest-vacation-days-globally/

[4] Pew Research Center – More than 4 in 10 U.S. workers don’t take all their paid time off: www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/08/10/more-than-4-in-10-u-s-workers-dont-take-all-their-paid-time-off/” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow noopener noreferrer”>https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/08/10/more-than-4-in-10-u-s-workers-dont-take-all-their-paid-time-off/ [5] Forbes – The New 2024 Trend: ‘Loud Vacations’ Encouraging Employees To Use Their PTO: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2024/07/18/the-new-2024-trend-loud-vacations-encouraging-employees-to-use-their-pto/

Image generated by DALL-E 3