October 16, 2025
Millennials are leading the trend of employees who use their PTO to knock out.
More millennials are using paid time off (PTO) not to take a trip, but to catch up on sleep.
Amerisleep surveyed 1,200 Americans and found that they use their paid time off to recharge. For almost half, they revealed they have called out of work just for some extra hours of beauty rest.
According to the mattress retailer’s survey results obtained by Athletech News, 43% of millennials use up that precious PTO time for some days of rest. Over a third also shared that they prioritize vacations where they can primarily sleep the corporate burnout away.
However, the trend may lean more toward those with higher incomes. Those earning six-figure salaries were 26% more likely to use PTO to snooze than those earning below that level. This finding suggests that these more consuming roles lead to actual exhaustion in these employees. On average, they use up about two to three vacation days strictly to recharge from their work responsibilities.
This phenomenon mainly affects the millennial generation, particularly those in mid-career who may take on more managerial positions. As for those in their early careers, like Gen-Z, or the C-suite, such as Gen-X and baby boomers, they have much lower rates of using PTO for sleep purposes. The report reveals that only 20% of baby boomers actually take time off to lounge around, with Gen-Z and Gen-X accounting for 33% and 34%, respectively.
Millennials are also stuck in a difficult place, as their home responsibilities pile up alongside their professional ones. Many in this age group are also reckoning with caring for their kids and the elderly adults in their lives, adding unique stressors to their everyday lives.
In light of this, millennials are also more inclined to take a vacation primarily to rest. In the age of wellness, more businesses are catering to the work burnout crowd. Sleep-focused hotels are soothing guests’ exhaustion by prioritizing the “rest” part of relaxation.
Amerisleep also reported a 95% increase in Google searches for “wellness travel.” This also extended to searches for “sleep resort” and “sleep vacation.” Those relatively new terms have seen a 30% increase in the past two years.
While millennials have a desire to beat burnout by taking much-needed days off for rest, they are driving a new trend of leisure that prioritizes sleep above all else.
RELATED CONTENT: Haiti Private Island Nixed As Royal Caribbean Destination
